been

American

[bin, ben] / bɪn, bɛn /

verb

past participle of be.

been British

/ biːn, bɪn /

verb

the past participle of be 1

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

"We have been studying the process of speciation for a long time," said Svardal.

From Science Daily

Patience and trusting the process have been Matsumoto’s two guiding principles.

From Los Angeles Times

"I would appeal to anyone who believes there's going to be a return to the past to think again and to follow the course that has been set out by the people."

From BBC

Weather presenter Carol Kirkwood said it had been a "privilege and honour" to have been welcomed into viewers' homes for 28 years, as she bade an emotional farewell to BBC Breakfast.

From BBC

The English trio were involved in a pair of thrilling quarter-final first legs last week but nothing has been decided, with those ties concluding on Wednesday.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023