BE • DICTIONARY ONE.COM • Definition of Be

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Be

verb

(past was; past part. been; pres. part. being)

1.

Have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun). "This is not a good answer"

2.

Be identical to; be someone or something. "This is my house"

3.

Occupy a certain position or area; be somewhere. "The toolshed is in the back" , "What is behind this behavior?"

4.

Have an existence, be extant. Synonym: exist.

5.

Happen, occur, take place. "There were two hundred people at his funeral" , "There was a lot of noise in the kitchen"

6.

Be identical or equivalent to. Synonym: equal.

7.

Form or compose. Synonyms: comprise, constitute, make up, represent. "The stone wall was the backdrop for the performance" , "These constitute my entire belonging" , "The children made up the chorus" , "This sum represents my entire income for a year" , "These few men comprise his entire army"

8.

Work in a specific place, with a specific subject, or in a specific function. Synonym: follow. "She is our resident philosopher"

9.

Represent, as of a character on stage. Synonyms: embody, personify.

10.

Spend or use time.

11.

Have life, be alive. Synonym: live. "My grandfather lived until the end of war"

12.

To remain unmolested, undisturbed, or uninterrupted -- used only in infinitive form.

13.

Be priced at. Synonym: cost.

noun

1.

A light strong brittle grey toxic bivalent metallic element. Synonyms: atomic number 4, beryllium, glucinium.

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WordNet 3.0 © 2010 Princeton University

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"Be" Quotes from Famous Books

... of England will always be dearer to us of English descent than any except our own. The Englishman will always be more like one of ourselves than any "foreigner" can be. We shall never cease to feel the tenderest regard for those Englishmen who have stood by us like brothers in the day of trial. ...

— The Atlantic Monthly, Vol. 13, No. 78, April, 1864 • Various

... Night resumed her uncreated vest, And Chaos came again, but not its rest; The melting glooms that spread perpetual stains, Kept whirling on in endless hurricanes; And tearing noises, like a troubled sea, Broke up that silence which no more would be. ...

— Life and Remains of John Clare - "The Northamptonshire Peasant Poet" • J. L. Cherry

... their gates to the victors. Enghien fell ill and was forced to return to France, leaving Turenne in command. De Gramont was exchanged for Gleen, and he and Turenne took counsel as to the course that had best be pursued. John de Werth had already recrossed the Danube, and the French generals fell back to Hall, where they remained for twelve days to refresh the troops, provisions ...

— Won by the Sword - A Story of the Thirty Years' War • G.A. Henty

... wits to play the fool, is when they are met together, to relax from the severity of mental exertion. Their follies have a degree of extravagance much beyond the phlegmatic merriment of sober dulness, and can be relished by those only, who having wit themselves, can trace the extravagance to the ...

— Irish Wit and Humor - Anecdote Biography of Swift, Curran, O'Leary and O'Connell • Anonymous

... life!" I could not help saying. "Day after day nothing but work. I suppose it is not to be wondered at if they grow dull and stolid, poor things." Then my thoughts reverted to what up here in the sunshine and the fresh morning air and with the pleasant excitement of going away I had a little forgotten—the ...

— Four Ghost Stories • Mrs. Molesworth

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