Be — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

verb symbol abbreviation /ˈbē/

Meaning & Definition of Be

Be (verb)

  1. to equal in meaning, have the same connotation as, symbolize
  2. to have identity with, to constitute the same idea or object as
  3. to constitute the same class as

Be (symbol)

  1. beryllium

Be (abbreviation)

  1. Baumé
  2. bachelor of education
  3. bachelor of engineering
  4. bill of exchange
  5. Black English
  6. British English

Be (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to have life

    "stories that begin with the familiar line once upon a time there was a beautiful maiden"

    similar: breathe, exist, live, subsist
    related: abide, continue, endure, hold on, hold up, keep (on), kick, last, lead, persist, rule, run on, survive, move, flourish, prosper, thrive
    opposite: depart, die, expire, pass away, perish, succumb
    near: disappear, evaporate, vanish, cease, desist, discontinue, end, quit, stop, abate, die (down), ebb, let up, moderate, subside, wane

  2. to occupy a place or location

    "we'll be there waiting for you"

    similar: bear, lie, sit, stand
    related: command, overlook, hang around, remain, rest, stay, stick around, tarry, await, wait, post, station, dwell, reside

  3. to take or have a certain position within a group arranged in vertical classes

    "our school's football team is first in its division"

    similar: grade, place, rank, rate, stand
    related: seed, count, categorize, class, classify, codify, compartmentalize, group, separate, set, sort, install, instate

  4. to take place

    "the party is next Saturday"

    similar: befall, betide, chance, come, come about, come down, come off, cook, do, go down (slang), go on, hap, happen, occur, pass, transpire, come to pass
    related: break, develop, rise, shape (up), arise, come up, crop (up), materialize, spring (up), intervene, fall out, follow, result, turn out, go off, proceed

Related Entry: Be (to) (verb)

Be (to) is a different word from Be. The synonyms below are for be (to), not for be.

  1. to behave toward in a stated way

    "you need to be nice to your brother"

    similar: act (toward), deal (with), handle, serve, treat, use, do by
    related: consider, esteem, rate, reckon, regard, view, engage (with), react (to), respond (to)

Related Entry: Be-all and end-all (noun)

Be-all and end-all is a different word from Be. The synonyms below are for be-all and end-all, not for be.

  1. the most important part of something or the reason for something

    "He acts as if making money is the be-all and end-all of human existence."

    similar: alpha and omega, antecedent, causality, cause, causation, occasion, reason, consideration, determinant, factor, impetus, incentive, inspiration, instigation, stimulus, mother, origin, root, source, spring
    opposite: ramification, denouement, repercussion, conclusion, end, by-product, side effect

Related Entry: Be friends with (phrase)

Be friends with is a different word from Be. The synonyms below are for be friends with, not for be.

  1. to come or be together as friends

    "If you could be friends with any famous person, past or present, who would you pick?"

    similar: associate, chum, company, consociate, consort, fraternize, hang (around or out), hobnob, hook up, mess around, pal (around), run, sort, travel, fall in with, keep company (with), rub elbows (with), take up with
    related: affiliate, ally, attach, band, bond, club, collaborate, collude, confederate, conjoin, connect, cooperate, couple, gang, get along, get on, group, interrelate, join, knot, league, link, mingle, mix, rally, relate, side, socialize, team, tie, wed, befriend, friend
    near: avoid, cold-shoulder, shun, snub, alienate, estrange, break up, disband, disperse, split (up), disjoin, dissociate, disunite, divorce, sever, split, sunder

Related Entry: Be on the lookout for (phrase)

Be on the lookout for is a different word from Be. The synonyms below are for be on the lookout for, not for be.

  1. to be cautious of or on guard against

    "After the storm, the police told the public to be on the lookout for downed power lines."

    "The public should remain vigilant and keep a lookout for any suspicious activity."

    similar: beware (of), guard (against), look out (for), mind, ware, watch out (for), keep one's eyes open (for)
    related: attend, heed, mark, note, notice, behold, discern, observe, perceive, see, watch
    near: discount, disregard, ignore, miss, overlook

Related Entry: Be out of breath (phrase)

Be out of breath is a different word from Be. The synonyms below are for be out of breath, not for be.

  1. to breathe hard, quickly, or with difficulty

    "They were out of breath after their five-mile run."

    similar: blow, gasp, heave, hyperventilate, pant, puff, wheeze
    related: choke, gag, gulp, huff, asphyxiate, smother, stifle, strangle, snore, snuffle, exhale, expire

Related Entry: Be partial to (phrase)

Be partial to is a different word from Be. The synonyms below are for be partial to, not for be.

  1. to show partiality toward

    "My girlfriend likes thrillers, but I myself am partial to comedies."

    similar: care (for), favor, lean (toward or towards), like, prefer, go in for
    related: adore, cotton (to), delight (in), dig, enjoy, fancy, groove (on), relish, revel (in), choose, cull, handpick, name, pick, select, single (out), take, covet, crave, desire, hanker (for or after), want, wish (for), bias, prejudice, incline (toward), tend (to), admire, appreciate, cherish, prize, treasure, value
    near: disfavor, dislike, mislike, abhor, abominate, detest, hate, loathe, decline, refuse, reject, turn down, discard, jettison, throw away, throw out

  2. to take pleasure in

    "They are both partial to weekend camping trips."

    similar: adore, delight (in), dig, enjoy, fancy, get off (on), groove (on), like, love, rejoice (in), relish, revel (in), savor, get a kick out of, go for, have a soft spot for, take to
    related: admire, appreciate, cherish, revere, venerate, worship, prize, treasure, value, devour, drink (in), eat (up), feast (on), dote (on), idolize, cotton (to), favor, prefer, indulge (in), luxuriate (in), wallow (in)
    near: abhor, abominate, detest, dislike, hate, loathe, condemn, despise, scorn

Related Entry: Be-all and end-alls (noun)

Be-all and end-alls is a different word from Be. The synonyms below are for be-all and end-alls, not for be.

  1. the most important part of something or the reason for something

    "He acts as if making money is the be-all and end-all of human existence."

    similar: alpha and omegas, antecedents, causalities, causations, causes, occasions, reasons, considerations, determinants, factors, impetuses, incentives, inspirations, instigations, stimuli, mothers, origins, roots, sources, springs
    opposite: ramifications, denouements, repercussions, conclusions, ends, by-products, side effects

Related Entry: Fit to be tied (phrase)

Fit to be tied is a different word from Be. The synonyms below are for fit to be tied, not for be.

  1. feeling or showing anger

    "She was fit to be tied when her insurance refused to cover her needed prescriptions."

    similar: angered, angry, apoplectic, ballistic, cheesed off (chiefly British), choleric, enraged, foaming, fuming, furious, hopping, horn-mad, hot, incensed, indignant, inflamed, infuriate, infuriated, irate, ireful, livid, mad, outraged, rabid, rankled, riled, riley, roiled, shirty (chiefly British), sore, steamed up, steaming, teed off, ticked, wrathful, wroth, bent out of shape, blue in the face, going crook (Australia & New Zealand), hopping mad, hot under the collar, in a fume, in a huff, in a pet
    related: ranting, raving, stormy, boiling, bristling, bristly, burning, cross, huffy, passionate, seething, sizzling, smoldering, worked up, wrought (up), acrid, acrimonious, antagonistic, antipathetic, bitter, embittered, inimical, malevolent, piqued, rancorous, resentful, spiteful, vengeful, vindictive, virulent, vitriolic, antisocial, cold, cool, disagreeable, disapproving, distant, frigid, icy, ill-tempered, sorehead, sulky, unfriendly, unpleasant, aggravated, annoyed, bearish, bilious, cantankerous, churlish, crabby, cranky, dyspeptic, exasperated, fretful, fussy, grouchy, grumpy, ill-humored, inflammable, irascible, irritable, peevish, perturbed, petulant, put out, quick-tempered, snappish, testy, touchy, argumentative, belligerent, contentious, contrary, disputatious, ornery, pugnacious, quarrelsome, querulous
    opposite: angerless, delighted, pleased
    near: accepting, accommodating, obliging, agreeable, amenable, complaisant, amicable, cordial, friendly, content, happy, satisfied, empathetic, sympathetic, tolerant, understanding, calm, pacific, peaceable, placid, serene, tranquil, unembittered, affable, amiable, easygoing, genial, good-natured, good-tempered, kind, pleasant, sweet

Related Entry: To be sure (phrase)

To be sure is a different word from Be. The synonyms below are for to be sure, not for be.

  1. to tell the truth

    "To be sure, there is risk involved, but surgery is by far the best option for this case."

    similar: actually, admittedly, forsooth, frankly, honestly, indeed, really, truly, truthfully, verily, as a matter of fact, in actuality, in fact, in point of fact, in reality, in truth
    related: absolutely, certainly, indisputably, indubitably, positively, realistically, undoubtedly, unquestionably, veritably

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Be

The most common words with a similar meaning to Be:

Slang: go down
breathe, exist, live, subsist, bear, lie, sit, stand, grade, place, rank, rate, befall, betide, chance, come, come about, come down, come off, cook, do, go on, hap, happen, occur, pass, transpire, come to pass

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Be

Words with the opposite meaning of Be:

depart, die, expire, pass away, perish, succumb

Related Words for Be

abide, continue, endure, hold on, hold up, keep (on), kick, last, lead, persist, rule, run on, survive, move, flourish, prosper, thrive, command, overlook, hang around, remain, rest, stay, stick around, tarry, await, wait, post, station, dwell

Near Antonyms of Be

disappear, evaporate, vanish, cease, desist, discontinue, end, quit, stop, abate, die (down), ebb, let up, moderate, subside, wane

Word Forms of Be

Inflections: was, were, been, being, am, are, is

Origin & Etymology of Be

Middle English, from Old English bēon; akin to Old High German bim am, Latin fui I have been, futurus about to be, fieri to become, be done, Greek phynai to be born, be by nature, phyein to produce

First known use: before 12th centuryi

Words & Phrases Containing Be

be-, been

Frequently Asked Questions about Be

What does "Be" mean?

"Be" means to equal in meaning, have the same connotation as, symbolize. As an a verb, a symbol and an abbreviation, it is defined as: to equal in meaning, have the same connotation as, symbolize. It has 4 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Be"?

Other words for "Be" include breathe, exist, live, subsist, bear, lie, sit and stand. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Be" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Be"?

There are 89 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Be". Common alternatives include breathe, exist, live, subsist, bear, lie, sit, stand, grade and place.

What is the opposite of "Be"?

Antonyms of "Be" include depart, die, expire, pass away, perish and succumb. Near antonyms include disappear, evaporate, vanish and cease.

How do you use "Be" in a sentence?

Examples of "Be" in a sentence: "stories that begin with the familiar line once upon a time there was a beautiful maiden"; "we'll be there waiting for you"; "our school's football team is first in its division".

Is "Be" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Be" can be used as a verb, a symbol and an abbreviation, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Be"?

"Be" is pronounced /ˈbē/.

What is the origin of the word "Be"?

"Be" comes from Middle English, from Old English bēon; akin to Old High German bim am, Latin fui I have been, futurus about to be, fieri to become, be done, Greek phynai to be born, be by nature, phyein to produce. First known use: before 12th centuryi.