being

American  

[bee-ing] / ˈbi ɪŋ /

noun

1. the fact of existing; existence (as opposed to nonexistence).

2. conscious, mortal existence; life.

   Our being is as an instantaneous flash of light in the midst of eternal night.

3. substance or nature.

   of such a being as to arouse fear.

4. something that exists.

   inanimate beings.

5. a living thing.

   strange, exotic beings that live in the depths of the sea.

6. a human being; person.

   the most beautiful being you could imagine.

7. (initial capital letter) God.

8. Philosophy.

   1. that which has actuality either materially or in idea.

   2. absolute existence in a complete or perfect state, lacking no essential characteristic; essence.

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conjunction

1. Nonstandard. since; because; considering that (often followed by as, as how, orthat ).

   Being it's midnight, let's go home.

   Being as how you cooked supper, I'll do the dishes.

being British  

/ ˈbiːɪŋ /

noun

1. the state or fact of existing; existence

2. essential nature; self

   she put her whole being into the part

3. something that exists or is thought to exist, esp something that cannot be assigned to any category

   a being from outer space

4. a person; human being

5. (in the philosophy of Aristotle) actuality Compare becoming

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being Idioms  

1. see for the moment (time being); other things being equal.

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Other Word Forms

• nonbeing
  noun
• superbeing
  noun

Etymology

Origin of being

First recorded in 1250–1300; be + -ing ¹

Explanation

A being is any living creature, from a person to a bug. Being also refers to the state of existing. "To be, or not to be" — that is the question when you're talking about being. Things that exist are in a state of being: this meaning of being is a little vague, but it has to do with the way things are alive and real. The other meaning is easier: beings are living things. Every person is a being, and so is every animal. Beings are no longer in a state of being when they're dead.

Example Sentences

Prince William visited Scilly on Friday to officially open a new hospital facility and to view the construction site of 10 new sustainable homes being delivered by the Duchy of Cornwall.

From BBC • May 22, 2026

Facebook, now Meta Platforms, still holds the record for being the most highly valued U.S. company at the time of its IPO, with a market cap of $81 billion in May 2012.

From Barron's • May 22, 2026

“Are the relatively dour readings seen in recent months being disproportionately driven by Democrats?” asked Joanne Hus, director of the survey.

From MarketWatch • May 22, 2026

What Mr. Dasgupta proposes is clearly—and perhaps intentionally—utopian, with little prospect of being realized.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026

“I wasn’t lying about being an Usher. I was lying about you being destined to enter the Afterlife tonight. The truth is… it’s the one night a soul should not enter the Afterlife.”

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman