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 But the reality is that there are no easy solutions to this problem vexing the White House. — Matt Egan, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026 There was something particularly fitting, then, about celebrating this group in Venice. — Tiziana Cardini, Vogue, 4 Sep. 2026 Back then, Below Deck hadn’t yet launched in the Mediterranean, the Housewives hadn’t yet conquered Potomac, and there were no Traitors, Summer House, or Mormon Wives to speak of. — Ali Barthwell, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2026 The men said there were plans to resume a bilateral maritime exercise that had also been suspended in 2017. — ABC News, 4 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
  • Wedding clients perform love instead of living it; her brother, a congressman, disguises his LGBTQ identity to make his political one more palatable; the gentrifiers of her neighborhood trumpet their changes as progress.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026
  • The Democrats' latest efforts to cap late fees will not make Americans' lives more affordable.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of live
Verb
  • Manchester City’s long-standing deal with Etihad Airways is thought to bring in a higher yield but that also covers naming rights for the club’s stadium.
    — James Pearce, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • This part — two brothers who respect each others’ artistic gifts (most of the time) but cannot stand each other personally — is not universal but incredibly specific.
    — Nate Jones, Vulture, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of stand
Verb
  • Detroit ranked 30th in steals last season and 26th two years ago.
    — Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of rank
Verb
  • An amendment to prohibit noncitizens from voting, a thing that has not happened, and a thing already prohibited.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Apparently, this happens all the time because Daisy is Martha’s makeup artist as well as traveling companion, sounding board, and whipping boy.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of happen
Verb
  • Musk plans to integrate Cybercabs, which lack manual controls so passengers could take over in an emergency, into the company's existing cab service that up to now uses just normal Tesla vehicle.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Sep. 2026
  • For now, existing smaller data centers represent only a sliver of Charlotte’s overall water demand.
    — Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of exist
Verb
  • To make matters worse, the high school recreation center where Carver’s body lay became engulfed in flames.
    — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Fire departments will toll bells and lay wreaths at the exact minutes the towers were struck.
    — The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Sun, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of lie
Verb
  • As Pourrain recalls, he was placed inside an unmarked van, with his hands and ankles handcuffed.
    — Felipe Cardenas, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Two of the players, Zxavian Harris and Dae'Quan Wright, have been participating in team activities, but were not placed on the roster in advance of last Saturday's 51-10 season-opening victory over Clemson.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of place
Verb
  • Antarctica tourism usually takes place between November and March, and most of it comes via ships leaving from South America and arriving around the Antarctic Peninsula, the northernmost arm of the mainland.
    — Jonathan Jones, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • XPeng’s update comes as Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robot faces further delays, with production now expected to begin in the coming months and commercial sales targeted for the second half of 2027.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of come

Phrases Containing be

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Cite this Entry

“Be.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/be. Accessed 12 Sep. 2026.

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