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 Fresh corn is a summertime staple, and there are plenty of delicious ways to put it to good use. — ABC News, 15 Aug. 2026 There are also a few cheeky nods to the area's Old West past, including saloon nights with live music and card games and outdoor firepits for roasting marshmallows. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Aug. 2026 Over the years, there’ve been so many different initiatives that then sprang out of these talks, which is another amazing thing. — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 14 Aug. 2026 As ARTnews‘s Sarah Douglas reported in January, there are easily two dozen director openings at museums across the country. — George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 14 Aug. 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
  • Before the bombing, Berezovska was living as a refugee in Hofheim, a small town near Frankfurt in Germany.
    — Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026
  • The combination regimen met the main study goal of significantly extending the time patients lived without their melanoma returning, compared with Keytruda alone.
    — Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of live
Verb
  • The game was notoriously ill-tempered, with English referee Howard Webb showing 14 yellow cards — a World Cup final record that still stands.
    — Amelie Claydon, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Global oil prices stand at about $89 a barrel, up about 25% since late February.
    — Max Zahn, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of stand
Verb
  • Ottawa’s pipeline was highly ranked for years, but as its top young players have aged out of prospect status, the situation has shifted drastically.
    — Corey Pronman, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Each of these has a measurable end state no ranking report captures.
    — Paul M. Wilson, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of rank
Verb
  • Confession, but questions remain Precisely what happened after Berezovska, Reut and Zhykovych met by the highway is unclear — each of the two men have given their own version of the story.
    — Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026
  • The tinted windows looked out onto the courts where Richardson trained some of the best young female players in the Rio Grande Valley, but the glass was one-way, and from outside, nothing that happened in the room was visible.
    — Molly Hensley-Clancy, Washington Post, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of happen
Verb
  • Traffic in the waterway remains at less than a fifth of pre-war levels, and no genuinely safe shipping route exists in the region, according to a maritime intelligence group.
    — Tim Lister, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2026
  • For Minnesota, that could mean a new technology pathway built around an existing mining industry.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of exist
Verb
  • The young Moroccan caught the eye at the World Cup and certainly has the potential to become one of the best deep-lying midfielders in the game.
    — Graham Ruthven, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Leftover weapons lie beneath fields and forests, blocking construction of roads and schools.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of lie
Verb
  • Rickie Fowler, Gary Woodland, Adam Scott and Justin Thomas all placed in the top six in 2018, but now are coming in with their games in great form.
    — Tim Corlett, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The structures of Europe’s other big hitters, such as Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich, also place them out of reach.
    — Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of place
Verb
  • Some come for the high-octane DJs at Shellona or the all-day revelry of Nikki Beach; others swear by the legendary glamour of Le Club 55 or the festive energy of Casa Amor.
    — Lanie Goodman, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Over the coming months, avionics, scientific instruments and thermal insulation will gradually transform the frame into the flying science laboratory destined for the outer solar system.
    — Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 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 21 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on be

Nglish: Translation of be for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about be

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