become
Americanverb (used without object)
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becomes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
became,
past
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become,
past participle
-
becoming
present participle
-
to come, change, or grow to be (as specified).
He became tired.
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to come into being.
verb (used with object)
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becomes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
became,
past
-
become,
past participle
-
becoming
present participle
-
to be attractive on; befit in appearance; look well on.
That gown becomes you.
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to be suitable or necessary to the dignity, situation, or responsibility of.
conduct that becomes an officer.
idioms
verb
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(copula) to come to be; develop or grow into
he became a monster
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(foll by of; usually used in a question) to fall to or be the lot (of); happen (to)
what became of him?
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(tr) (of clothes, etc) to enhance the appearance of (someone); suit
that dress becomes you
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(tr) to be appropriate; befit
it ill becomes you to complain
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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becomesimple
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becomessimple
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have becomeperfect
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has becomeperfect
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am becomingprogressive
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are becomingprogressive
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is becomingprogressive
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have been becomingperfect progressive
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has been becomingperfect progressive
Past
-
becamesimple
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had becomeperfect
-
was becomingprogressive
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were becomingprogressive
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had been becomingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of become
First recorded before 900; Middle English becumen, Old English becuman “to come about, happen”; cognate with Dutch bekomen, German bekommen, Gothic biqiman. See be-, come
Explanation
To become is to evolve, change into, or emerge as something. A fertilized egg will hatch and the tiny chick will become a full-grown chicken. When you become angrier and angrier watching the TV news, you begin to feel a certain way. Likewise, when Pinocchio the wooden puppet becomes a real boy in the fairy tale, he changes from toy to human. The word become can also mean "learn how to be" or "be qualified for," as when you dream that some day you'll become an astronaut. The Old English becuman has these meanings, and also "meet with" or "arrive."
Vocabulary lists containing become
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:
That something else has become inseparable from the name Lawrence Bishnoi.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
Last week, CoreWeave sneezed, the market caught a cold, and everyone became a doctor delivering a diagnosis: Either the patient is going to die or become stronger than ever.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026
“I’ve built up over a decade a strong level of trust amongst major powers, but also middle powers who have become so influential today on the global stage,” Nusseibeh said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
After the spin-off, Mike Cavanagh will become chief executive of NBCUniversal, and Comcast’s former chief financial officer, Michael Angelakis, will return to run Comcast.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
Patients walked long distances to the outhouse and developed ulcers—oozing, open sores that become progressively worse if left untreated—on their feet.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
The union that represents horse-carriage workers said it would sue in federal court if the ban becomes law.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
So speaking to Leeds-born Felix Balshaw - the 20-year-old son of England Rugby World Cup winner Iain - it quickly becomes clear why he is representing France on his climb up the professional tennis ladder.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
Now your show suddenly becomes a piece of evidence.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
Even if the financing becomes unviable, he doubts the timing mismatch between capex and revenue will derail the cycle.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026
“One is tempted to laugh about it as though it were a bad joke. But soon one becomes angry.”
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
Soon after arriving on the continent, it became clear than the German promises of soldiers and 200,000 rifles were not going to be fulfilled.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
Last week, CoreWeave sneezed, the market caught a cold, and everyone became a doctor delivering a diagnosis: Either the patient is going to die or become stronger than ever.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026
In 2017 he became a reporter for the Moscow Times, a small, scrappy English-language paper with a global audience.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
The scene also became a way to make money.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
The sun cleared the other side of the ravine, and the glare became blinding.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
That was the verdict of former Scotland attacker James McFadden after a Celtic collapse that is becoming all too familiar.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
The case for young Americans not owning a car is becoming increasingly compelling.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026
Unfortunately this arrives just as the undercurrents of feeling are becoming more intriguing, and so the quick conclusion ends up giving the movie a note of rather tidy poignancy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
Hegseth, who rose as far as major during an Army National Guard career before becoming a Fox News host, regularly does televised exercise routines with troops.
From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026
A grin tugs at the edge of his mouth, quickly becoming a smile.
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
