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be

verb

ˈbē How to pronounce be (audio)
Definition of benext
1
as in to live
to have life stories that begin with the familiar line "once upon a time there was a beautiful maiden"

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to stand
to occupy a place or location we'll be there waiting for you

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to rank
to take or have a certain position within a group arranged in vertical classes our school's football team is first in its division

Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in to happen
to take place the party is next Saturday

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of be There are endless reasons one woman is harassed and another is not. — Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 26 Sep. 2026 Amid the jubilation of the liberation, there is a darker side, as women who fraternized with German soldiers are tracked down and brutally publicly shamed. — Zac Ntim, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2026 Right across the street from Madison Square Garden, there is a secret garden. — Wendy Goodman, Curbed, 19 Sep. 2026 There were several storms in the area near the trail that evening, and between seven and nine lightning strikes, First Warning Meteorologist Cam Tran said, WESH 2 reported. — Paloma Chavez, PEOPLE, 19 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for be
Recent Examples of Synonyms for be
  1. live
  2. stand
  3. rank
  4. happen
  5. exist
  6. lie
  7. place
  8. come
Verb
  • The men entered the home with guns, found no drugs and fatally shot the three residents, who lived just across the street from Norman, the records show.
    — MICHAEL GRACZYK, Arkansas Online, 24 Sep. 2026
  • There must be a way to live happily without looking to the future.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of live
Verb
  • Whichever one remains standing will be wounded and weakened, and the human forces can then finish that monster off.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 27 Sep. 2026
  • Thanks to the single-floor layout of the tiny house, there's tons of room in here to walk around and stand upright, which is always a nice luxury in a tiny house.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of stand
Verb
  • Retirement Living ranked all 50 states for retirees by analyzing each one on its quality of life, affordability and economic strength.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 27 Sep. 2026
  • His team’s 24-18 win over host Crenshaw on Friday night ranks as one of the best wins in school history.
    — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of rank
Verb
  • This is barely a description of what actually happens, but more of an understanding of what lies beneath the surface of the plot, the emotional core of the adventure at hand, maybe even what critics sometimes call the driving force of a novel.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2026
  • The precise details of what happened there are obscure, and representatives for Beck did not respond to my requests for comment.
    — Josephine Reisman, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of happen
Verb
  • Seemingly, nothing can stop Swift — who also released a musical bid for an Oscar this year in the form of a Toy Story song — from reminding Grammy voters that Showgirl exists.
    — Jasmine Vojdani, Vulture, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Leaders may consider repurposing these existing tools around the patient data that already exists to help ensure the guidance clinicians receive feels timely and relevant rather than generic.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of exist
Verb
  • Life cycle Female apple maggot flies lay 300 to 500 eggs over their 30-day life span.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Jordende Pierre, 29, was arrested Thursday in Malden, Massachusetts, after the woman was found earlier this month in the attic of an apartment building, undressed on a mat and lying near a bucket of urine, according to CNN affiliates WCVB and WFXT.
    — Alex Stambaugh, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of lie
Verb
  • Crab shells, whole and in pieces, turned up all over the school, to be swept away with the dust and fallen leaves and other litter, placed in a trash bag, and carried off behind the buildings to the incinerator.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Ahead of the election, The Star reached out to both candidates to get their stances on Amendment 6, which was placed on the ballot by a campaign called Respect MO Voters.
    — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of place
Verb
  • The announcement comes ahead of Alaska’s investor day in Seattle today.
    — Alex Harring, CNBC, 29 Sep. 2026
  • The news comes amid ongoing tensions as the war in Iran persists, with Trump refusing a deal with Iran to open the Strait as recently as Saturday, impacting the world's oil supply.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of come

Phrases Containing be

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be
beach
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Cite this Entry

“Be.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/be. Accessed 30 Sep. 2026.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about be

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