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be

/ˈbiː/noun, verb1 syllable

Be means: have life, be alive.

Synonyms for be23

noun, as in a light strong brittle grey toxic bivalent metallic element

beryllium, glucinium, atomic number 4

verb, as in have life, be alive

live, survive, last, live on, go, endure, hold up, hold out

verb, as in form or compose

verb, as in represent, as of a character on stage

embody, personify

verb, as in have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun)

verb, as in have an existence, be extant

verb, as in be identical or equivalent to

verb, as in work in a specific place, with a specific subject, or in a specific function

verb, as in be priced at

also used for be

Includes material from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

What does be mean?13

verb

1

have life, be alive“Our great leader is no more”

2

form or compose“This money is my only income”

3

represent, as of a character on stage“Derek Jacobi was Hamlet”

4

have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun)“John is rich”

5

have an existence, be extant“Is there a God?”

6

be identical or equivalent to“One dollar equals 1,000 rubles these days!”

7

work in a specific place, with a specific subject, or in a specific function“He is a herpetologist”

8

be priced at“These shoes cost $100”

9

be identical to; be someone or something“The president of the company is John Smith”

10

occupy a certain position or area; be somewhere“Where is my umbrella?”

11

spend or use time“I may be an hour”

12

to remain unmolested, undisturbed, or uninterrupted — used only in infinitive form“let her be”

noun

1

a light strong brittle grey toxic bivalent metallic element

Definitions from the Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

What rhymes with be?60

Show 40 near rhymes

All 60 rhymes for be, grouped by syllable

Be in a sentence

  • Judging from what you say, he must be a great scholar.CM
  • Without your consent, nothing can be done about it.papabear
  • Without your help, we wouldn't be able to carry out our plan.Zifre
  • Your point may be a little off target, but it certainly is close.Zifre
  • The sooner you return, the happier your father will be.Swift
  • America is a lovely place to be, if you are here to earn money.AlanF_US
  • Unless you make a decision quickly, the opportunity will be lost.Zifre
  • Whatever you may say, you won't be believed.Zifre

Sentences from Tatoeba, CC BY 2.0 FR, credited to their authors.

Forms of be

as a noun

plural
bes

as a verb

past tense
was
present participle
being
past participle
been
third-person singular
is
plural
are