being

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noun be·ing \ ˈbē(-i)ŋ \

Definition of being

1 a :the quality or state of having existence

a social movement that came into being in the 1960s

artistic form comes into being only when two elements are successfully fused
—Carlos Lynes

b (1) :something that is conceivable and hence capable of existing

(2) :something that actually exists

(3) :the totality of existing things

c :conscious existence :life

2 :the qualities that constitute an existent thing :essence

I knew it was true in the core of my being.

; especially :personality

3 :a living thing

sentient beings

a mythical being

; especially :person

a very sexual being

See being defined for English-language learners

See being defined for kids

Examples of being in a Sentence

a social movement that was brought into being in the 1960s
I knew it was true in the core of my being.

Recent Examples of being from the Web

That being said, something is off-kilter when athletic directors and administrators grumble publicly about revenue and when networks like the BIg Ten and SEC generate far more broadcast coin.

— jon wilner, The Seattle Times, "‘Something has to change’: Here’s what media analysts think of the Pac-12 Networks," 29 Aug. 2017
That being said, the additional exposure paid off for Hawaii and UMass, who played a pretty fun back-and-forth game in Amherst, the return date of one of the most far-flung home-and-home series in recent history.

— eric single, SI.com, "Week Zero: What We Learned as USF, Oregon State, CSU and More Opened the Season," 27 Aug. 2017
That being said, Beric and Tormund were on top of the Wall until what seemed like the very end.

— joanna robinson, HWD, "Game of Thrones: Honoring the Death of the Show’s Most Important Character," 27 Aug. 2017
CONFERENCE PREVIEWS That being said, scheduling remains a guessing game.

— paul myerberg, USA TODAY, "Scheduling in the Playoff era: Going big can't hurt," 26 Aug. 2017
Also next week, the budget panel will hold a meeting at 11 a.m. Tuesday to take testimony in Sturtevant, one of the communities that could benefit from a plant being proposed for that area by the Taiwanese electronics maker Foxconn Technology Group.

— jason stein, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Work on state budget resuming as Foxconn hearing comes to Sturtevant Tuesday," 18 Aug. 2017
There will be a noise of skin being seared by heat, accompanied by a little more smoke and potentially a little oil spraying if filet was not dried enough.

— philip potempa, Post-Tribune, "Food stage shows are an audience favorite tasty ticket," 18 Aug. 2017
Once again, the President of the United States was pushed to play the role of decent human being and offered a bare minimum performance in return.

— michael arceneaux, Essence.com, "Dear White People: What's Happening In Charlottesville Is Not Un-American – It's Classic Americana," 14 Aug. 2017
According to the group, its mission is to promote the general well-being of the Oswego area senior community.

— Aurora Beacon-News, "Aurora pastor to offer drive-through prayers," 7 Aug. 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of being

Middle English, from gerund of been be

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

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being Synonyms

Synonyms

baby, human, bird, bod [British], body, character, cookie (or cooky), creature, customer, devil, duck, egg, face, fish, guy, head, human being, individual, life, man, mortal, party, person, personage, scout, slob, sort, soul, specimen, stiff, thing, wight

Related Words

hominid, homo, humanoid; brother, fellow, fellowman, neighbor; celebrity, personality, self, somebody

Near Antonyms

animal, beast, beastie, brute, critter

being

adjective

Definition of being

:present —used in the phrase for the time being

plans to remain single for the time being

Recent Examples of being from the Web

What Rose was trying to do was illustrate how being active in his son's life matters to him.

— tim reynolds, chicagotribune.com, "'I can still play:' Derrick Rose talks fame, fatherhood, Cavs and redemption," 29 Aug. 2017
Only time will tell... but this might be an example of how being #onbrand can go a tad too far.

— halie lesavage, Glamour, "It Was Only a Matter of Time Before Melania Trump Got FLOTUS Merch," 29 Aug. 2017
What Rose was trying to do was illustrate how being active in his son’s life matters to him.

— tim reynolds, The Seattle Times, "Only on AP: Rose talks fame, fatherhood, Cavs and redemption," 28 Aug. 2017
The three classic factors of production: land, labor, and capital, land being resources, labor, and capital.

— david wallace-wells, Daily Intelligencer, "Al Gore: ‘We Are in the Early Stages of a Sustainability Revolution’," 3 Aug. 2017
How being analytical helped Jenny Simpson win her fourth consecutive USATF 1,500 title.

— ken goe, OregonLive.com, "On televising track meets; Eugene and the 2020 Olympic Trials: Oregon track & field rundown," 27 June 2017
And then Dev explains, without being preachy, how being Muslim isn't quite like practicing other religions.

— carly mallenbaum, USA TODAY, "'Master of None': Aziz Ansari opens up about his Muslim upbringing," 17 May 2017
Or our (homophobic) aunt about how being gay is not a choice?

— philip galanes, New York Times, "When to Step In OCT. 13, 2016," 10 Nov. 2016

Origin and Etymology of being

Middle English, from present participle of been be

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

being

conjunction

Definition of being

chiefly dialectal

:since, because —usually used with as, as how, or that

See being defined for English-language learners

Origin and Etymology of being

from ²being

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1528

See Words from the same year

BEING Defined for English Language Learners

being

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noun

Definition of being for English Language Learners

: a living thing
: the state of existing
: the most important or basic part of a person's mind or self

BEING Defined for Kids

being

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noun be·ing \ ˈbē-iŋ \

Definition of being for Students

1 :the state of having life or existence

He explained how the myth came into being.

2 :a living thing

3 :an entity believed to be divine

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being

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Origin and Etymology of being

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being

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