been

Definition of beennext
past participle of be
1
2
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

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 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 In Australia, the debate has been more fraught than almost anywhere else, and so the government’s announcement caught out even those who’ve been at the negotiating table. Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 7 Nov. 2025 Sharpe also been an organizer of Bockfest and was the development director of former local radio station WNKU. Erin Glynn, Cincinnati Enquirer, 12 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for been
Verb
  • This one, in the lower Greenfield neighborhood where O’Connor’s father — the late Pittsburgh Mayor Bob O’Connor — lived, is no different.
    Salena Zito, Washington Post, 12 Mar. 2026
  • The game certainly lived up to the hype.
    Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 12 Mar. 2026
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
Verb
  • Of that trio, Hill, a submariner who ranked second last season in induced groundball rate (48 percent) among relievers, is likely to see immediate action.
    Johnny Flores Jr, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026
  • Haiti was included for the first time and was ranked as one of the countries with the least press freedom in the Americas.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 12 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • The most serious mid-air collision involving the plane happened in 1966, when a B-52 bomber carrying nuclear bombs struck a tanker near Palomares, Spain.
    Kim Tong-Hyung, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2026
  • The landslides happened in recent days in the Gamo Zone districts of Gacho Baba, Kamba and Bonke, said Mesfin Manuqa, the Gamo Zone director of disaster response.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 13 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Porn was one of the only places where those lives existed visually.
    Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 10 Mar. 2026
  • Human-robot collaboration Hosting the NASA Valkyrie humanoid robot at the University of Edinburgh provided researchers with a rare opportunity at a time when humanoid robots were not commercially available and only a few experimental systems existed worldwide.
    Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 9 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • The Heat were up by as many as 28 points in the fourth quarter with Adebayo continuing to play pop-a-shot in the historic farce — which also moved him past LeBron James, whose 61 points in 2014 stood as Miami’s previous franchise record.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026
  • The large police presence was noticeable even before the commissioners’ meeting, when 14 city police officers and sheriff’s deputies stood outside.
    Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 11 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Department leaders placed the officer involved on paid administrative leave while the shooting is investigated, per department policy.
    Katie Langford, Denver Post, 6 Mar. 2026
  • The ski course is tackled several times and between each lap athletes shoot at five metal targets placed 10 meters away.
    ABC News, ABC News, 6 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • That is certainly true in the medical sector, where digital technology has done little to eradicate long wait times for medical appointments or in emergency rooms.
    Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026
  • The deal got done at a $250 million post-money valuation, and as of February, Apptronik is valued at more than $5 billion.
    Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2026

Cite this Entry

“Been.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/been. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.

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