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

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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 There’ve been so many games within the franchise, so many spin-offs. — K.j. Yossman, Variety, 23 Oct. 2026 Naperville residents who’ve been unable to use Book Road for most of the year will see a little relief once the stretch between 75th and 83rd streets reopens by month’s end. — Carolyn Stein, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026 Some of the greatest shows on Earth these days are coming from the road warriors who’ve been out there the longest. — Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 17 Sep. 2026 Especially at both lines of scrimmage, Nebraska seeks players who’ve been through it. — Mitch Sherman, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026 But nowhere have the politics of data centers been more strained than in the Wisconsin governor’s race. — Dan Kaufman, New Yorker, 28 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 The special edition adds her to the scene, on a surface level flexing access to these men who’ve been movers and shakers across consecutive centuries, which could imply an artist seeing their own work on the same level. — Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 24 July 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for been
  1. lived
  2. sat
  3. ranked
  4. happened
  5. existed
  6. stood
  7. placed
  8. done
Verb
  • The band members could handle it, but the property manager who lived above their first rehearsal spot was less enthusiastic.
    — Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Audrey lived at La Paisible until her death from cancer in January 1993, at just 63 years old.
    — Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of lived
Verb
  • This fine establishment has sat at the same address in the Williamsburg Bridge's shadow since 1887, and the interiors carry about as many frills as your average public house—dark wood, plaster walls, and so on.
    — Charlie Hobbs, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Dec. 2025
  • 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
  • The Wildcats, ranked in both the Associated Press and coaches’ polls, are coming off a 22-14 season that took them to the second round of the NCAA tournament.
    — Matt Murschel, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Florida ranked sixth among all states for credit card debt per capita at $5,050 at the end of 2025, up $210 from a year earlier, according to Federal Reserve Bank of New York data.
    — Malana VanTyler, Miami Herald, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of ranked
Verb
  • That, however, never happened and an attorney eventually petitioned for his release.
    — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026
  • His death happened two weeks after his release tour for High, Lonesome and Then Some was canceled following Snider’s involvement in a still-unclear incident in Salt Lake City that landed him in a hospital and in jail.
    — Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of happened
Verb
  • The Old Mine Cushion style was chosen given its place as one of the earliest styles of diamond cuts — developed in the 1700s, the cut was shaped by hand and instinct under the candlelight before modern technology existed.
    — Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 24 Oct. 2026
  • For military and intelligence agencies, the potential now existed for reconnaissance at a far larger scale than what was possible with high-altitude aircraft.
    — Robert Z. Pearlman, Space.com, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of existed
Verb
  • In the middle of a lukewarm Massachusetts morning, Leonard Miller stood alone, toeing the 3-point arc in the corner of the court at TD Garden.
    — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026
  • The ballroom, rising where the East Wing stood until its demolition last October, is being funded largely by private donors, including Apple, Amazon, Google, Meta, and Lockheed Martin, as Fortune has reported.
    — Andrew McGowan, Fortune, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of stood
Verb
  • The system uses implanted 3-mm magnets to measure muscle length and movement speed through sensors placed on the skin.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Carefully placed to take full advantage of ocean views but not block them, the buildings seem not so much on the land as embedded within it.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of placed
Verb
  • Welch Suggs, one of the study’s authors and an associate professor of journalism and mass communication at Georgia, noted the study was done over a period of growth in higher education.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 Oct. 2026
  • This isn’t a team that wants to pass the ball 45 times a game despite their veteran signal caller having done so many times throughout his career.
    — Scott Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 27 Oct. 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 30 Oct. 2026.

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