past tense first- and third-person singular was
ˈwəz 
; past tense plural were; past subjunctive were; past participle been
ˈbin
ˈben
; present participle being
ˈbē(-i)ŋ
; present tense first-person singular am
; present tense second-person singular are
ˈär
ˈwäz
; past tense second-person singular were
ˈwər
; past tense plural were; past subjunctive were; past participle been
ˈbin
ˈben
chiefly British
ˈbēn
; present participle being
ˈbē(-i)ŋ
; present tense first-person singular am
əm,
ˈam
; present tense second-person singular are
ˈär
ər
; present tense third-person singular is
ˈiz
əz
; present tense plural are; present subjunctive be
1
a
: to equal in meaning : have the same connotation as : symbolize
January is the first month.
let x be 10
b
: to have identity with : to constitute the same idea or object as
The first person I met was my brother.
c
: to constitute the same class as
These three books are the authoritative works on the president's life.
d
: to have a specified qualification or characterization
The leaves are green.
e
: to belong to the class of
The fish is a trout.
Keeping this room clean is your responsibility.
Note: In senses 1a through 1e, be functions as a simple copula or linking verb.
2
a
: to have an objective existence : have reality or actuality : live
I think, therefore I am.
b
: to have, maintain, or occupy a place, situation, or position
The book is on the table.
c
: to remain unmolested, undisturbed, or uninterrupted
—used only in the infinitive form
Let him be.
d
: to take place : occur
The concert was last night.
e
: to come or go
has already been and gone
has never been to the circus
1
—used as an auxiliary (see auxiliary entry 2 sense 3) with the past participle of transitive verbs to form the passive voice
The money was found.
The house is being built.
2
—used as the auxiliary of the present participle in progressive tenses expressing continuous action
He is reading.
I have been sleeping.
3
—used with the past participle of some intransitive verbs as an auxiliary forming archaic perfect tenses
… Christ is risen from the dead …—
1 Corinthians 15:20 (Douay Version)
1 Corinthians 15:20 (Douay Version)4
—used with to + infinitive to express futurity, arrangement in advance, or obligation
I am to interview him today.
She was to become famous.
5
or less commonly bes
or be's
—used in the uninflected form be or sometimes the form bes or be's in African American English and to varying degrees in some other varieties of English to indicate that an action or state is habitual or frequent
I be singing in the shower.
… they be bothering you while you try and do your work. …—unidentified African American English speaker, quoted in The Corpus of Regional African American Language
unidentified African American English speaker, quoted in The Corpus of Regional African American LanguageIt bes that way.
We learned to slide out of one language and into another without being conscious of the effort. At school, in a given situation, we might respond with "That's not unusual." But in the street, meeting the same situation, we easily said "It be's like that sometimes."—Maya Angelou
Maya AngelouNote: This feature of African American English often occurs between the subject and predicate of a sentence, and can precede noun phrases, prepositional phrases, adverbial phrases, adjectives, passive verbs, -ing verbs, and the African American English feature perfective done. In linguistics, this use is referred to as aspectual be, habitual be, or invariant be. It usually occurs in the uninflected form be, as in the first two examples above; however, in African American English in particular, it sometimes takes the form bes or be's.
see also been entry 1
beryllium
Baumé
1
bachelor of education
2
bachelor of engineering
3
bill of exchange
1
: on : around : over
besmear
2
: to a great or greater degree : thoroughly
befuddle
3
: excessively : ostentatiously
—in intensive verbs formed from simple verbs
bedeck
and in adjectives based on adjectives ending in -edberibboned
4
: about : to : at : upon : against : across
bestride
5
: make : cause to be : treat as
belittle
befriend
6
: call or dub especially excessively
bedoctor
7
: affect, afflict, treat, provide, or cover with especially excessively
bedevil
befog
archaic past tense second-person singular of be
1
a
: to equal in meaning : have the same connotation as : symbolize
January is the first month.
let x be 10
b
: to have identity with : to constitute the same idea or object as
The first person I met was my brother.
c
: to constitute the same class as
These three books are the authoritative works on the president's life.
d
: to have a specified qualification or characterization
The leaves are green.
e
: to belong to the class of
The fish is a trout.
Keeping this room clean is your responsibility.
Note: In senses 1a through 1e, be functions as a simple copula or linking verb.
2
a
: to have an objective existence : have reality or actuality : live
I think, therefore I am.
b
: to have, maintain, or occupy a place, situation, or position
The book is on the table.
c
: to remain unmolested, undisturbed, or uninterrupted
—used only in the infinitive form
Let him be.
d
: to take place : occur
The concert was last night.
e
: to come or go
has already been and gone
has never been to the circus
1
—used as an auxiliary (see auxiliary entry 2 sense 3) with the past participle of transitive verbs to form the passive voice
The money was found.
The house is being built.
2
—used as the auxiliary of the present participle in progressive tenses expressing continuous action
He is reading.
I have been sleeping.
3
—used with the past participle of some intransitive verbs as an auxiliary forming archaic perfect tenses
… Christ is risen from the dead …—1 Corinthians 15:20 (Douay Version)
1 Corinthians 15:20 (Douay Version)4
—used with to + infinitive to express futurity, arrangement in advance, or obligation
I am to interview him today.
She was to become famous.
5
or less commonly bes
or be's
—used in the uninflected form be or sometimes the form bes or be's in African American English and to varying degrees in some other varieties of English to indicate that an action or state is habitual or frequent
I be singing in the shower.
… they be bothering you while you try and do your work. …—unidentified African American English speaker, quoted in The Corpus of Regional African American Language
unidentified African American English speaker, quoted in The Corpus of Regional African American LanguageIt bes that way.
We learned to slide out of one language and into another without being conscious of the effort. At school, in a given situation, we might respond with "That's not unusual." But in the street, meeting the same situation, we easily said "It be's like that sometimes."—Maya Angelou
Maya AngelouNote: This feature of African American English often occurs between the subject and predicate of a sentence, and can precede noun phrases, prepositional phrases, adverbial phrases, adjectives, passive verbs, -ing verbs, and the African American English feature perfective done. In linguistics, this use is referred to as aspectual be, habitual be, or invariant be. It usually occurs in the uninflected form be, as in the first two examples above; however, in African American English in particular, it sometimes takes the form bes or be's.
see also been entry 1Examples of be in a Sentence
Verb (1)
stories that begin with the familiar line “once upon a time there was a beautiful maiden”
we'll be there waiting for you
Recent Examples on the Web
Kate Aurthur, Variety, 17 June 2026
There is now much greater emphasis on analysis and data.
—Andy Mitten, New York Times, 17 June 2026
There are plenty of other sites—waterfalls, glaciers, and semi-hidden hot springs—but another must-visit is Kerling, an 82-foot volcanic rock formation jutting out between a handful of hillsides.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 June 2026
There is a weariness here, a near-complete disillusionment with mainstream politics and a deep skepticism that any politicians in Westminster can deliver meaningful change.
—Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 17 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for be
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
And then there was a whole separate conversation with Meija, who nobody knew anything about.
—Kate Aurthur, Variety, 17 June 2026
There is now much greater emphasis on analysis and data.
—Andy Mitten, New York Times, 17 June 2026
There are plenty of other sites—waterfalls, glaciers, and semi-hidden hot springs—but another must-visit is Kerling, an 82-foot volcanic rock formation jutting out between a handful of hillsides.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 June 2026
There is a weariness here, a near-complete disillusionment with mainstream politics and a deep skepticism that any politicians in Westminster can deliver meaningful change.
—Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 17 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for be
Cite this Entry
“Be.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/be. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
be
1 of 2 verb
past 1st & 3rd singular was
(ˈ)wəz
; plural were; past subjunctive were; past participle been
(ˈ)bin
; present 1st singular am
əm
ˈwäz
; 2nd singular were
(ˈ)wər
; plural were; past subjunctive were; past participle been
(ˈ)bin
chiefly British (ˈ)bēn
; present participle being
ˈbē-iŋ
; present 1st singular am
əm
(ˈ)am
; 2nd singular are
ər
(ˈ)är
; 3rd singular is
(ˈ)iz
əz
; plural are; present subjunctive be
1
a
: to have the same meaning as : serve as a sign for
January is the first month
let x be 10
b
: to have identity with
the first person I met was my brother
she is my mother
c
: to have the quality or character of
the leaves are green
d
: to belong to the class of
the fish is a trout
apes are mammals
2
a
: exist sense 1, live
I think, therefore I am
there once was a knight
b
: to occupy a place, situation, or position
the book is on the table
I was sick
c
: to remain undisturbed or uninterrupted
—used only in infinitive form
let it be
d
: to take place : occur
the concert was last night
3
—used with the past participle of transitive verbs to form the passive auxiliary
the money was found
the house is being built
4
—used with the present participle to express continuous action
they are studying
I have been sleeping
5
—used with the infinitive with to to express the future or something one must do
she was to become famous
I am to leave today
be-
2 of 2 prefix1
: on : around : over
besmear
2
: provide with or cover with : dress up with
bejewel
bewhiskered
3
: about : to : upon
bemoan
4
: make : cause to be
belittle
befriend
Etymology
Prefix
Old English be-, bi- "on, over"
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