Transcription
-
- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
-
- [bee; unstressed bee, bi]
- /bi; unstressed bi, bɪ/
- /bi/
-
- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
-
- [bee; unstressed bee, bi]
- /bi; unstressed bi, bɪ/
Definitions of be word
- auxiliary verb be You use be with a present participle to form the continuous tenses of verbs. 3
- auxiliary verb be You use be with a past participle to form the passive voice. 3
- auxiliary verb be You use be with an infinitive to indicate that something is planned to happen, that it will definitely happen, or that it must happen. 3
- auxiliary verb be You use be with an infinitive to say or ask what should happen or be done in a particular situation, how it should happen, or who should do it. 3
- auxiliary verb be You use was and were with an infinitive to talk about something that happened later than the time you are discussing, and was not planned or certain at that time. 3
- auxiliary verb be You can say that something is to be seen, heard, or found in a particular place to mean that people can see it, hear it, or find it in that place. 3
Information block about the term
Origin of be
First appearance:
before 900 One of the 4% oldest English words
before 900; Middle English been, Old English bēon (bēo- (akin to Old Frisian, Old High German bim, German bin, Old Saxon bium, biom (I) am, Old English, Old High German, Old Saxon būan, Old Norse būa reside, Latin fuī (I) have been, Greek phy- grow, become, Old Irish boí (he) was, Sanskrit bhávati (he) becomes, is, Lithuanian búti to be, OCS byti, Persian būd was)) + -n infinitive suffix. See am, is, are1, was, were
Historical Comparancy
Parts of speech for Be
noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
be popularity
A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 98% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".
be usage trend in Literature
This diagram is provided by Google Ngram ViewerSynonyms for be
verb be
- breathe — When people or animals breathe, they take air into their lungs and let it out again. When they breathe smoke or a particular kind of air, they take it into their lungs and let it out again as they breathe.
- do — Informal. a burst of frenzied activity; action; commotion.
- last — occurring, coming, or being after the usual or proper time: late frosts; a late spring.
- prevail — to be widespread or current; exist everywhere or generally: Silence prevailed along the funeral route.
- move — to pass from one place or position to another.
Antonyms for be
verb be
- cease — If something ceases, it stops happening or existing.
- discontinue — to put an end to; stop; terminate: to discontinue nuclear testing.
- refuse — to decline to accept (something offered): to refuse an award.
- reject — to refuse to have, take, recognize, etc.: to reject the offer of a better job.
- forsake — to quit or leave entirely; abandon; desert: She has forsaken her country for an island in the South Pacific.
Top questions with be
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