been

verb

Definition of beennext
past participle of be
1
as in lived
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 sat
to occupy a place or location we'll be there waiting for you

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in ranked
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 happened
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 been How electric has the atmosphere at Madison Square Garden been during the Finals, especially during and after Game 4’s comeback? — Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 13 June 2026 Three races in, there’ve been unforeseen winners, unpredicted changes to the schedule and the unanticipated reality of regulation changes dawning. — Amanda Davies, CNN Money, 24 Apr. 2026 The fans who’ve been down with me since the ’99 and 2000s, the ones who’ve been riding with me all the way to now. — Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 27 Mar. 2026 Phillips told Us Weekly there’d been the possibility of getting a kidney from her brother, Aron, but doctors ultimately turned him down. — Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 28 Feb. 2026 And there’ve been many times throughout filming this where Paul and I were just sort of stranded, the two of us, and that offers a huge opportunity to bond. — Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 14 Feb. 2026 Historically, the Air Jordan 15 been one of the least popular of Jordan’s signature shoes, but there is a segment of people who appreciate its oddball design, including Billie Eilish, who collaborated on it in 2021 and calls it her favorite Air Jordan. — Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 13 Feb. 2026 How historic have the 2026 winter storms been? — Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 7 Feb. 2026 Some who’d been leaders under previous coaches did not work for Payton, like guard Dalton Risner and safety Justin Simmons. — Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 24 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for been
  1. lived
  2. sat
  3. ranked
  4. happened
  5. existed
  6. stood
  7. placed
  8. done
Verb
  • Having lived long in an unusual place, Ruth provides a calm counterpoint to the frantic Tom.
    — Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026
  • At the current house, artists have lived and worked in the same space.
    — Michelle F. Solomon, Miami Herald, 9 July 2026
Definition of lived
Verb
  • Levi Jones, a 33-year-old business owner, pulled up to Sacred Eye Tattoos in Hollywood last week and sat for eight hours getting a photorealistic black-and-white portrait of Mangione on his leg.
    — Amanda Rosa, Orlando Sentinel, 24 Dec. 2024
  • The birthday boy and his big sister Sterling Skye, 3, each sat between one of their parents’ laps.
    — Angel Saunders, People.com, 24 Dec. 2024
Definition of sat
Verb
  • So while Belgium goes home, Spain goes to Texas for Tuesday’s semifinal with France, the only team in the world ranked ahead of it.
    — Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026
  • That Santos ranked among some of the best midfielders in the Premier League for line-breaking passes last season is promising.
    — Carl Anka, New York Times, 10 July 2026
Definition of ranked
Verb
  • When that happened, on July 4, 1778, locals rang the old bell, which had been delivered up the Mississippi from New Orleans, and for a long time locals stored the bell inside the church.
    — Andrew Carter, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
  • The incident seemed to spark a bit of life into Morocco as its best passages of play happened afterwards, with Canada seeming to lose a step after starting so well.
    — Patrick Sung Cuadrado, CNN Money, 4 July 2026
Definition of happened
Verb
  • His Commentaries became foundational reading for nineteenth-century lawyers, emphasizing that law existed to preserve constitutional government, private rights, and public confidence in legal institutions.
    — Joseph Andrew, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026
  • Instead, colonial watchmaking existed largely as finishing and assembly rather than complete manufacture.
    — Victoria Gomelsky, Robb Report, 3 July 2026
Definition of existed
Verb
  • In the middle of it all stood a young man that, if the current administration had its way, wouldn’t have been allowed to be on the team in the first place.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2026
  • Crude oil stood above $72 a barrel on Friday morning, remaining on track for a weekly gain of nearly 5%, according to Trading Economics.
    — Michael Loria, USA Today, 10 July 2026
Definition of stood
Verb
  • Those severe heat illness cases need to be placed in cooling bags to cool their bodies down within 30 minutes.
    — Danielle J. Brown, Baltimore Sun, 10 July 2026
  • Comparing trends in recent years, Marti placed the first semester of 2026 on par with the first half of 2023, which had previously marked the strongest start to a year since cinemas reopened following the pandemic.
    — Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 10 July 2026
Definition of placed
Verb
  • Tolbert accomplished a feat done just three times in the modern era.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 8 July 2026
  • As of right now, the case for Monsignor Buh is awaiting confirmation to proceed with the second step, which is the investigation done into the figure’s life.
    — Vivian Wilson, Twin Cities, 8 July 2026
Definition of done

Browse Nearby Words

Beelzebub
been
been friends with
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Cite this Entry

“Been.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/been. Accessed 11 Jul. 2026.

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