Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • An inseparable prefix of verbs, and of nouns thence derived.
  • noun The name of the second letter of the alphabet, usually written simply b or B. See B.
  • Obsolete form of by. Chaucer.
  • To exist; have existence or being; possess reality; be the case; be true or real.
  • To take place; occur; happen; come about: as, the wedding will be to-morrow; his birthday was last week; it was to be.
  • Usually, be is a mere copula, or sign of predication, a link between a subject and a predicate.
  • In metaphysics, to subsist in a state not necessarily amounting to actual existence; have the rudiments of existence. See being.
  • An auxiliary verb denoting subsistence in or subjection to the mode of action or being expressed by the principal verb.
  • An infinitive with to after be forms a sort of future, often with a certain implication of obligation: thus, he is to come, they were to appear, she would have been to blame or to be blamed.
  • An inseparable prefix of adverbs, which may also be used as prepositions or conjunctions.
  • In chem., the symbol for beryllium (the same as glucinum).

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • intransitive verb To exist actually, or in the world of fact; to have existence.
  • intransitive verb To exist in a certain manner or relation, -- whether as a reality or as a product of thought; to exist as the subject of a certain predicate, that is, as having a certain attribute, or as belonging to a certain sort, or as identical with what is specified, -- a word or words for the predicate being annexed.
  • intransitive verb To take place; to happen.
  • intransitive verb To signify; to represent or symbolize; to answer to.
  • intransitive verb a phrase of supposition, equivalent to suppose it to be so; or of permission, signifying let it be so.
  • intransitive verb in case.
  • intransitive verb to have come from; as, from what place are you? I am from Chicago.
  • intransitive verb to omit, or leave untouched; to let alone.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb intransitive, now literary To exist; to have real existence.
  • verb With there as dummy subject: to exist.
  • verb intransitive To occupy a place.
  • verb intransitive To occur, to take place.
  • verb intransitive, without predicate elliptical form of "be here", "go to and return from" or similar.
  • verb transitive, copulative Used to indicate that the subject and object are the same.
  • verb transitive, copulative, mathematics Used to indicate that the values on either side of an equation are the same.
  • verb transitive, copulative Used to indicate that the subject plays the role of the predicate nominal.
  • verb transitive, copulative Used to connect a noun to an adjective that describes it.
  • verb transitive, copulative Used to indicate that the subject has the qualities described by a noun or noun phrase.
  • verb transitive, auxiliary Used to form the passive voice.
  • verb transitive, auxiliary Used to form the continuous forms of various tenses.
  • verb archaic Used to form the perfect aspect with certain intransitive verbs, most of which indicate motion. Often still used for "to go"
  • verb transitive, auxiliary Used to form future tenses, especially the future periphrastic.
  • verb Used to link a subject to a count or measurement.
  • verb used to indicate passage of time since the occurrence of an event.
  • verb Used to indicate weather, air quality, or the like.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb happen, occur, take place
  • verb to remain unmolested, undisturbed, or uninterrupted -- used only in infinitive form
  • verb have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun)
  • verb be identical or equivalent to
  • verb work in a specific place, with a specific subject, or in a specific function
  • verb have life, be alive
  • verb spend or use time
  • verb occupy a certain position or area; be somewhere
  • verb form or compose
  • verb represent, as of a character on stage
  • noun a light strong brittle grey toxic bivalent metallic element
  • verb be priced at
  • verb be identical to; be someone or something
  • verb have an existence, be extant

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English been ("to be"), from Old English bēon ("to be, become"), from Proto-Germanic *beunan (“to be, exist, come to be, become”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰew- (“to grow, become, come into being, appear”). Cognate with West Frisian binne ("are"), Dutch ben ("am"), Low German bün ("am"), German bin ("am"), Old English būan ("to live, wone"). Irregular forms are inherited from the Old English compound verb bēon-wesan.

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Examples

  • Early on, I decided that if I had to be a Stockard, then I damn well would _be_ a Stockard.

    New Race Joe Sullivan 2010

  • “Bad Lieutenant” ***Superbly acted by Cage proving he can be the man when he wants to be***

    Nicolas Cage’s 8 Crappiest Movies | YepYep - Your Daily Waste Of Time 2009

  • You may not be clear on why fascism *should be* any more loaded with genocide associations than socialism.

    Coyote Blog » Blog Archive » Mussolini-Style Fascism 2009

  • Interestingly, she appears to be taking self-promotion lessons from the shy and retiring Joe Abercrombie and it must be said, what better role model can there be*?

    Alex Bell launches new website Adam Whitehead 2009

  • The next big breakthrough MMO will probably be from the first developer to realize that trying to take on WoW on the PC is pointless, but that it's still possible to * be* to WoW of the console world.

    Wired Top Stories 2009

  • Interestingly, she appears to be taking self-promotion lessons from the shy and retiring Joe Abercrombie and it must be said, what better role model can there be*?

    Archive 2009-01-01 Adam Whitehead 2009

  • Oh, and, though this may be undermining the feminist cause, as a bisexual woman, I cannot understand why 23 men would willingly..be with her.

    Yes, that's why they call it YOUR orgasm Ms Robinson 2008

  • If you want to be perceived as excellent, *be* excellent. . .

    Impressings from a long day Christine Robinson 2008

  • No one in the major media even blinked when Fox News military "analyst," retired Lieutenant General Tom Mc Inerney diagnosed in December 2004 what our mission in Fallujua should be~ "We must be ruthless, especially in the area of collateral damage," he said self-righteously.

    REMEMBERING THE HORROR AND SHAME OF FALLUJAH 2007

  • December 30, 2007 at 6:48 am ai fink….. luk oawt peepulz shez finkin agin…..be afrade be bery afrade… taht teh anser ifn we wantz to hab a kon-ven-shun….iz noawt to hab WUN kon-ven-shun…..an wee wantz to do it reel soon, at leeest fur teh furst won……

    Hot cross buns - Lolcats 'n' Funny Pictures of Cats - I Can Has Cheezburger? 2007

Comments

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  • Be. Chemical element symbol for Beryllium.

    December 16, 2007

  • I know this is not intended to be first and foremost as a translator, but there is no very "To Be" in Turkish. There are verbs such as "to make" and "to do" and "to happen," which is what you've given, but there is no verb "to be." You just have to walk around saying "It good."

    January 7, 2011

  • Translations just pulled from database elsewhere. It imperfect.

    January 8, 2011

  • "be" in Hungarian means: inside, in, into

    August 7, 2012