befit
Americanverb (used with object)
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befits,
present (3rd person singular)
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befitted,
past participle, past
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befitting
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
befitsimple
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befitssimple
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have befittedperfect
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has befittedperfect
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am befittingprogressive
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are befittingprogressive
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is befittingprogressive
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have been befittingperfect progressive
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has been befittingperfect progressive
Past
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befittedsimple
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had befittedperfect
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was befittingprogressive
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were befittingprogressive
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had been befittingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of befit
late Middle English word dating back to 1425–75; see origin at be-, fit 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The glitzy Sphere suits Las Vegas; a new football arena along classical lines would befit Washington, which Frederick Douglass praised for “its lofty domes and stately pillars.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 20, 2026
But Ernie was faithful to convention and produced a soothing ode that, well, befit The Times:
From New York Times ● Jul. 14, 2023
Ralph Fiennes’ version befit a consummate actor who’d long cherished T.S.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 25, 2023
Unquestioned, unlimited authority may befit a ruler who reigns by divine right.
From Slate ● Apr. 26, 2023
Larissa’s life Elsewhere would be quiet and serene as befit the Old; she would not welcome the responsibility of nurturing a newchild who needed feeding and care, and would likely cry at night.
From "The Giver" by Lois Lowry
As befits a campaign that has gone badly astray, injuries have played a key part.
From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026
They are so regular, in fact, that investors give them a name—crypto winter—that befits the belief that these downturns are as predictable as the seasons.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 7, 2026
The answer is evasive but also magnanimous, as befits Mr. Youngkin’s personality.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026
The recital acted like a religious experience in which a rarefied atmosphere befits radiance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 19, 2026
As befits a dialogue framed around reports from the subconscious regions, the Adams-Rush correspondence tended to emphasize the power of the irrational.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
She began with an incisive reading of Webern’s Six Pieces for Orchestra, keeping her conducting elegantly restrained, even economized — gestures that befitted this sharply angled, brief set.
From New York Times ● Apr. 5, 2024
Devin looked far from the days where his cheeks were bone thin at weigh-ins and he befitted the stare of the undead.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 3, 2023
The safari park said she had a big character which befitted her 1.5 tonne frame.
From BBC ● Apr. 24, 2023
But the visitors were largely subdued, rarely threatening in a first half that befitted a game with so little at stake.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 1, 2022
Isannah, as befitted her higher station in the household, sat next to Miss Lyte.
From "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Hoskins Forbes
It’s a trajectory that the immensely appealing, rollicking documentary “American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez” tracks with a vitality and purpose befitting its subject.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Now, we have moved far beyond this "muddy era" - and the new game is filled with bright colours befitting of the Caribbean setting.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
The billionaire singer and three-time Super Bowl champion, both 36, have kept fans guessing, but media reports describe an over-the-top celebration befitting one of the world's most famous musicians.
From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026
It was befitting of an important office job, with only the lightest indicators of riches and omnipotence.
From Slate ● Jun. 11, 2026
Holidays were frivolous and silly, whereas a migration sounded much more serious and responsible, befitting a puffin of the military class.
From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el
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