as in grew
to eventually have as a state or quality
many people became sick with the flu with the arrival of autumn the days become crisper and breezier
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Recent Examples of became
On May 29, 1961, Alderson and Chloe Muncy of Paynesville, West Virginia, became the first recipients of food stamps.
—
Charles Mitchell, Washington Post, 20 Apr. 2026
By 1998, as the family drama deepened, the absence of the mother character became conspicuous.
—Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
This became the record 58th launch from the Space Coast for the year.
—Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 Apr. 2026
All four Democrats in the 1st District quickly returned the AFL-CIO questionnaires that recently became available.
—Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 19 Apr. 2026
After following in her dad's footsteps as a talent coordinator at SNL in 2024 and 2025, Sophie became an MBA candidate at Wharton.
—Katie Mannion, PEOPLE, 19 Apr. 2026
But during that maneuver, the vehicle likely reversed into the water and became submerged.
—Brandon Downs, CBS News, 13 Apr. 2026
Chernyshov was back with Celebrini and Smith for the Sharks’ final regular-season home game on Saturday and had his second career two-goal game in what became a 4-3 shootout loss to the Vancouver Canucks on fan appreciation night at SAP Center.
—Curtis Pashelka, Mercury News, 12 Apr. 2026
The former two-star recruit worked his way up the depth chart and became a two-year starter for Cal before winning the Heisman Trophy and leading the Hoosiers to a perfect 16-0 record and the national championship.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2026
Charles Mitchell, Washington Post, 20 Apr. 2026
By 1998, as the family drama deepened, the absence of the mother character became conspicuous.
—Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
This became the record 58th launch from the Space Coast for the year.
—Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 Apr. 2026
All four Democrats in the 1st District quickly returned the AFL-CIO questionnaires that recently became available.
—Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 19 Apr. 2026
After following in her dad's footsteps as a talent coordinator at SNL in 2024 and 2025, Sophie became an MBA candidate at Wharton.
—Katie Mannion, PEOPLE, 19 Apr. 2026
But during that maneuver, the vehicle likely reversed into the water and became submerged.
—Brandon Downs, CBS News, 13 Apr. 2026
Chernyshov was back with Celebrini and Smith for the Sharks’ final regular-season home game on Saturday and had his second career two-goal game in what became a 4-3 shootout loss to the Vancouver Canucks on fan appreciation night at SAP Center.
—Curtis Pashelka, Mercury News, 12 Apr. 2026
The former two-star recruit worked his way up the depth chart and became a two-year starter for Cal before winning the Heisman Trophy and leading the Hoosiers to a perfect 16-0 record and the national championship.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for became
Verb
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Sonja Shaw Shaw is the Chino Valley Unified School District board president and a Republican activist who emerged as a major player in the COVID-era parental rights movement as conservative families grew concerned that public schools were becoming hotbeds of leftist indoctrination.—
Lia Russell,
Sacbee.com,
22 Apr. 2026
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Residents at the meeting also grew antsy.—
Amanda Rosa,
Miami Herald,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Meanwhile, the appeal that got the Los Angeles Lakers’ Luka Doncic onto the award ballots might earn him All-NBA, but did not lead to him getting his first MVP award.—
Tim Reynolds,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Excited, yet anxious, over the prospect of reconnecting with the man that got away, the pair fortifies themselves with cocktails and bubbly during a boozy dinner.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Last year Payton Tolle’s big league debut was one of the highlights of the season, as the gigantic left-hander with a mustache as big as his personality went toe-to-toe with Pittsburgh Pirates phenom Paul Skenes and struck out eight in a memorable Friday night showdown.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
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McDaniels hit just one triple as the Wolves went 9 for 34 from beyond the arc, but 64% from the paint.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That came just a few days after news broke that Palantir had secured a $10 billion contract from the US Army over the next decade.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
7 Aug. 2025
-
All five of Bednar’s outs came via strikeout on Wednesday.—
Brendan Kuty,
New York Times,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
But the 24-year-old has offered little to suggest a corner is going to be turned.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
21 Apr. 2026
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When the Fed began raising rates in 2022, the correlation between stocks and bonds turned positive — meaning that bonds weren’t the portfolio ballast investors were expecting.—
Michelle Fox,
CNBC,
20 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Became.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/became. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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