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 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
  • The third member was Trésor’s brother Yannick, who lived nearby.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Jan. 2026
  • The analysis estimated how changes in these behaviors affected lifespan and healthspan (years lived without major chronic diseases compared to those with less healthy patterns).
    Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 21 Jan. 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
  • During the regular season, Pro Football Focus ranked the Broncos’ offensive line as the best in the NFL.
    Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 23 Jan. 2026
  • They are being penalized for their weak non-conference schedule, which KenPom ranked 362nd out of 365 Division I teams and included three games against Division II opponents.
    Tim Casey, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Ornato and Engel, who had been in the SUV, each denied the incident happened.
    Aysha Bagchi, USA Today, 23 Jan. 2026
  • The shooting happened in the parking lot of the store located at 21115 South Dixie Highway on the morning of November 6, 2025.
    Ivan Taylor, CBS News, 23 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Public users created over 2,500 custom investable indices in the first month of its Generated Assets feature, compared to fewer than 4,000 ETFs that have ever existed.
    Boaz Sobrado, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
  • Some of those signals include usage patterns over time, how long an account has existed, the typical times of day a user is active and the user’s stated age.
    Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 20 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Larocca stood beside her in a black T-shirt, white shorts and flip-flops as the couple smiled for the camera.
    Danielle Minnetian, FOXNews.com, 21 Jan. 2026
  • With temps in the 20s, protestors stood roadside, bundled up as drivers by honked in support of their cause or called out in opposition to them.
    Sofi Zeman, Kansas City Star, 20 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Labor secretary's staff members probed A member of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer's security detail with whom she has been accused of having a romantic relationship has been placed on administrative leave during a misconduct investigation, two people familiar with the matter said.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Jan. 2026
  • In 1890 a monumental statue — California’s first State Historic Monument — was commissioned and placed on the hill overlooking the gold discovery site to mark the location of Marshall’s grave.
    Kurt Snibbe, Oc Register, 24 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • European allies welcomed news of the framework, but some warned that the damage to the EU-US relationship is already done, even after the US backed away from threats to hit them with additional trade tariffs over their opposition to a US takeover.
    Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 24 Jan. 2026
  • The vote count, done at the school and released late Thursday, showed 85% of Orange Center Elementary School households that cast ballots approved of converting the school to a K-8 charter school focused on STEAM, or science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.
    Steven Walker, The Orlando Sentinel, 23 Jan. 2026

Cite this Entry

“Been.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/been. Accessed 26 Jan. 2026.

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