become

verb

be·come | \ bi-ˈkəm

, bē-\

became\ bi-ˈkām

, bē- \; become; becoming

Definition of become

intransitive verb

1a : to come into existence

b : to come to be become sick They both became teachers.

2 : to undergo change or development The pain was becoming more intense.

transitive verb

: to be suitable to seriousness becoming the occasion especially : to be becoming to her clothes become her

become of

: to happen to wondering whatever became of old friends

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about become

Keep scrolling for more

Synonyms for become

Synonyms

come, get, go, grow, run, turn, wax

Examples of become in a Sentence

Although I've known him for years, we didn't become close friends until recently. She won the election, becoming the first woman to be President of the nation. The book has become quite popular. We became interested in the property last year. The crackers had become stale. It eventually became clear that he had lied. This kind of behavior hardly becomes a person of your age and position.

Recent Examples on the Web

American investor Eugene Meyer became the first president of the World Bank, and a tradition was born. — Washington Post, "What a World Bank Critic Might Do as Its President," 18 Sep. 2019 Salah himself became the Premier League's record goalscorer in a single season, the fastest ever Liverpool player to 50 goals, and won the golden boot twice in his first two campaigns. — SI.com, "Mohamed Salah: The Humble King Who Conquered Rome and Took Liverpool By Storm," 17 Sep. 2019 The roof of a safari vehicle traveling through the Serengeti in Tanzania became the perfect perch for a big cat. — Kelli Bender, PEOPLE.com, "New Jersey Family Captures 'Amazing' Close Encounter with Cheetah on Trip to Serengeti," 17 Sep. 2019 Sarah Thomas, a 2004 UConn graduate, former UConn swimmer and a breast cancer survivor, became the first person to complete a four‐way crossing of the English Channel early Tuesday morning. — Lori Riley, courant.com, "UConn grad, cancer survivor Sarah Thomas completes record-setting four-way English Channel swim," 17 Sep. 2019 Canada last year became the second nation — after the small South American country of Uruguay — to legalize and regulate marijuana, but legal sales of edible and vaping products are not due to begin until later this year. — BostonGlobe.com, "Vaping illness in US gives Canada pause as legal marijuana vaping sales near - The Boston Globe," 17 Sep. 2019 But the café became a target of conservative Muslim clergy, who declared it a breeder of Western ideology that would upend Afghan tradition. — Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, "“Midnight Traveler” Expands the Narrative of the Refugee Documentary," 17 Sep. 2019 The question becomes, does the President preemptively launch? — Fox News, "'Locked and loaded': Military options on table in response to Saudi oil attack as Trump seeks to avoid war," 17 Sep. 2019 Freddie Kitchens became the sixth former Alabama player to earn a victory as an NFL head coach when the Cleveland Browns defeated the New York Jets 23-3 on Monday night. — Mark Inabinett | Minabinett@al.com, al, "Browns post Monday night victory over Jets," 17 Sep. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'become.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.