BE | Meaning In The Cambridge English Dictionary

Meaning of be in English beverb uk strong /biː/ weak /bi/ weak /bɪ/ us strong /biː/ weak /bi/ weak /bɪ/ being | was | were | been

be verb (DESCRIPTION)

Add to word list Add to word list A1 [ L ] used to say something about a person, thing, or state, to show a permanent or temporary quality, state, job, etc.: He is rich. It's cold today. I'm Andy. That's all for now. What do you want to be (= what job do you want to do) when you grow up? These books are (= cost) $3 each. Being afraid of the dark, she always slept with the light on. Never having been ill himself, he wasn't a sympathetic listener. Be quiet! [ + -ing verb ] The problem is deciding what to do. [ + to infinitive ] The hardest part will be to find a replacement. [ + that ] The general feeling is that she should be asked to leave. It's not that I don't like her - it's just that we rarely agree on anything! to have a certain monetary value

• costHiring a car for the week will cost close to £300!
• beThe cakes were £1.50 each or two for £2.
• sell forThe tickets sell for £100 each.
• fetchThe medieval manuscript fetched a record-breaking £1.2 million at auction.
• go for somethingHouses around here usually go for about £500,000.
• set someone back (something)Phew, that ring looks like it set you back.

See more results » A1 [ I usually + adv/prep ] used to show the position of a person or thing in space or time: The food was already on the table. Is anyone there? The meeting is now (= will happen) next Tuesday. There's a hair in my soup. [ L ] used to show what something is made of: Is this plate pure gold?

• Don't be so cheeky!
• Our solicitors have advised that the costs could be enormous.
• You have to go to college for a lot of years if you want to be a doctor.
• Come along - we don't want to be late!
• Oranges, lemons, limes and grapefruit are types of citrus fruit.

Existing and being

• account for something phrasal verb
• alive
• be a thing idiom
• been
• being
• estate
• existential
• existentially
• extant
• found
• have legs idiom
• living
• run
• self-existent
• speckle
• spring up phrasal verb
• stand
• they're
• thing
• thingness

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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Comprising and consisting of

be verb (ALLOW)

[ + to infinitive ] formal used to say that someone should or must do something: You're to sit in the corner and keep quiet. Their mother said they were not to (= not allowed to) play near the river. There's no money left - what are we to do?

• You are not to come downstairs until you have tidied up your room.
• Tell her she is not to open the door to any strangers.
• You are never to use rude language like that in my house, do you understand?
• I've made it clear to the visitors that they are not to touch any of the machinery.
• The school rules state that no child is to leave the school premises during the day, unless accompanied by an adult.

Duty, obligation and responsibility

• accountable
• accountable to someone
• accountably
• answer for something phrasal verb
• bind
• buck
• duty
• duty of care
• fall to someone phrasal verb
• fiefdom
• fulfil your duty
• obligated
• obligation
• obligatorily
• obligatory
• obliged
• preserve
• saddle
• shoulder
• someone's answer to someone/something idiom

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be verb (FUTURE)

[ + to infinitive ] formal used to show that something will happen in the future: We are to (= we are going to) visit Australia in the spring. She was never to see (= she never saw) her brother again. [ + to infinitive ] used in conditional sentences to say what might happen: If I were to refuse they'd be very annoyed.formal Were I to refuse they'd be very annoyed.

• The four soldiers are to receive citations from the president for their brave actions.
• The three largest banks are to raise their interest rates.
• The government is to spend millions of dollars on combating drug abuse.
• If the company were to offer him more money, he might not leave.
• After they've finishing painting the hall, they are to start on the living room.

Describing when something happened or will happen

• at
• at short notice idiom
• coincident
• coincidently
• demand
• executory
• for
• hundred
• immediately
• in
• movable feast
• notice
• on demand idiom
• one
• possible
• somewhere along the line idiom
• time
• time signature
• up
• zero hour

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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

In the future & soon

be verb (CAN)

[ + to infinitive ] used to say what can happen: The exhibition of modern prints is currently to be seen at the City Gallery.

be verb (EXIST)

[ I ] to exist or live: formal Such terrible suffering should never be.old use or literary By the time the letter reached them their sister had ceased to be (= had died). Existing and being

• account for something phrasal verb
• alive
• be a thing idiom
• been
• being
• estate
• existential
• existentially
• extant
• found
• have legs idiom
• living
• run
• self-existent
• speckle
• spring up phrasal verb
• stand
• they're
• thing
• thingness

See more results »

Grammar

Modal expressions with beThere are a number of expressions with be which have modal meanings, for example, be to, be able to, be allowed to, be supposed to: … Be as an auxiliary verbBe is one of three auxiliary verbs in English: be, do and have. We use be to make the continuous form and the passive voice: … Be: typical errorsRemember to use are for the third person plural form of be: … Be expressions (be able to, be due to)Be about to is used to talk about things which are going to happen very soon: … Be about toBe about to is used to talk about things which are going to happen very soon: … Be able toBe able to is like can. We use it to talk about abilities. We often use it in places where it is not possible to use can. For example, it isn’t possible to use can after another modal verb: … Be due toBe due to is used to talk about things that are expected or planned to happen at a certain time. We often use it with a time expression: … Be likely toBe likely to is used to talk about how probable things are: … Be meant toBe meant to is used to talk about what is desirable, expected or intended: … Be supposed toBe supposed to is used to talk about obligations and arrangements: … Been or gone?We often use been to, instead of gone to, when we refer to completed visits to a place: … BeBe is an irregular verb with several forms: … Be: formsBe is an irregular verb with several forms: … Be: usesWe use be as a main verb and an auxiliary verb. … Be as a main verbBe as a main verb has a number of meanings. … If + were toIn formal situations, we can use if + were to when we talk about things that might happen but which we think are unlikely: …

Phrasal verb

be in for something beauxiliary verb uk strong /biː/ weak /bi/ weak /bɪ/ us strong /biː/ weak /bi/ weak /bɪ/ being | was | were | been

be auxiliary verb (CONTINUE)

A2 [ + -ing verb ] used with the present participle of other verbs to describe actions that are or were still continuing: I'm still eating. She's studying to be a lawyer. The audience clearly wasn't enjoying the show. You're always complaining. I'll be coming back (= I plan to come back) on Tuesday.

• Long hair on men seems to be coming back into fashion.
• I am embroidering this picture for my mother.
• The police are carrying out spot checks on drivers over the Christmas period to test for alcohol levels.
• Police are still looking for clues in their search for the missing girl.
• The two athletes are competing for the gold medal.

Continuous & permanent

• abiding
• abidingly
• ad infinitum
• ad vitam
• around-the-clock
• here to stay idiom
• immanence
• immanent
• immanently
• imperishable
• on the bounce idiom
• on the spin idiom
• on the trot idiom
• perennial
• permanence
• uninterrupted
• uninterruptedly
• unrelentingly
• unrelieved
• unrelievedly

See more results »

be auxiliary verb (PASSIVE)

A2 [ + past participle ] used with the past participle of other verbs to form the passive: I'd like to go but I haven't been asked. Troublemakers are encouraged to leave. A body has been discovered by the police.

• Hospitals need to be kept spotlessly clean.
• After my aunt died, we arranged for her house to be cleared .
• They're advising that children be kept out of the sun altogether.
• Your shoes will be repaired and ready for you to collect on Thursday.
• The first election results are expected around 1 a.m.

Grammar

Modal expressions with beThere are a number of expressions with be which have modal meanings, for example, be to, be able to, be allowed to, be supposed to: … Be as an auxiliary verbBe is one of three auxiliary verbs in English: be, do and have. We use be to make the continuous form and the passive voice: … Be: typical errorsRemember to use are for the third person plural form of be: … Be expressions (be able to, be due to)Be about to is used to talk about things which are going to happen very soon: … Be about toBe about to is used to talk about things which are going to happen very soon: … Be able toBe able to is like can. We use it to talk about abilities. We often use it in places where it is not possible to use can. For example, it isn’t possible to use can after another modal verb: … Be due toBe due to is used to talk about things that are expected or planned to happen at a certain time. We often use it with a time expression: … Be likely toBe likely to is used to talk about how probable things are: … Be meant toBe meant to is used to talk about what is desirable, expected or intended: … Be supposed toBe supposed to is used to talk about obligations and arrangements: … BeBe is an irregular verb with several forms: … Be: formsBe is an irregular verb with several forms: … Be: usesWe use be as a main verb and an auxiliary verb. … Be as a main verbBe as a main verb has a number of meanings. … (Definition of be from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

be | American Dictionary

beverb us /bi/ present tense am us/æm/ are us/ɑr/ is us/ɪz/ | present participle being us/ˈbi·ɪŋ/ | past tense was us/wʌz/ were us/wɜr/ | past participle been us/bɪn/

be verb (RELATIONSHIP)

Add to word list Add to word list used to connect two things or a thing with something that it has as a quality or condition: [ L ] It is cold today. [ L ] My name is Andy. [ L ] She is a doctor. [ L ] How old are you? [ L ] These books are (= cost) $12.99 each. [ L ] Please be patient. Be is also used to show the position of a person or thing in space or time: [ I always + adv/prep ] The food was on the table. [ I always + adv/prep ] Tony is in trouble again.

be verb (EXIST)

[ L ] to exist: She apologized for the way things are around here. There was no sound. beauxiliary verb us /bi/

be auxiliary verb (CONTINUE)

present tense am us/æm/ are us/ɑr/ is us/ɪz/ | present participle being us/ˈbi·ɪŋ/ | past tense was us/wʌz/ were us/wɜr/ | past participle been us/bɪn/ used with the present participle of other verbs to describe actions that are or were continuing: You are being very selfish. She was studying to be a lawyer. It is raining. I’ll be coming back (= I plan to come back).

be auxiliary verb (PASSIVE)

present tense am us/æm/ are us/ɑr/ is us/ɪz/ | present participle being us/ˈbi·ɪŋ/ | past tense was us/wʌz/ were us/wɜr/ | past participle been us/bɪn/ used with the past participle of other verbs to form the passive: He was asked to wait. Please be seated. The World Trade Center was built in the early 1970s.

be auxiliary verb (POSSIBLE CONDITION)

past tense were us/wər/ were used to show the possibility of a condition or of something happening in the future: If I were afraid of you, why would I be here? If you were allowed to have one wish, what would it be?

Note:

• In grammar, this form of be is called the subjunctive.

be auxiliary verb (FUTURE)

fml present tense am us/æm/ are us/ɑr/ is us/ɪz/ | past tense was us/wʌz/ were us/wɜr/ used to say what will happen: [ + to infinitive ] The president is to decide this issue very soon.

be auxiliary verb (ALLOW)

fml present tense am us/æm/ are us/ɑr/ is us/ɪz/ | past tense was us/wʌz/ were us/wɜr/ used to tell people they must or should do something: [ + to infinitive ] Their mother said they were to play nearby. (Definition of be from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press) What is the pronunciation of be, be-?

Translations of be

in Chinese (Traditional) 描述, （用來說明人、事物或狀態，表示性質、狀態、工作等）, （表示時間或方位）… See more in Chinese (Simplified) 描述, （用来说明人、事物或状态，表示性质、状态、工作等）, （表示时间或方位）… See more in Spanish ser, estar, ser de… See more in Portuguese ser, estar, ser de… See more in Marathi in Japanese in Turkish in French in Catalan in Dutch in Tamil in Hindi in Gujarati in Danish in Swedish in Malay in German in Norwegian in Urdu in Ukrainian in Telugu in Bengali in Czech in Indonesian in Thai in Vietnamese in Polish in Korean in Italian आहे, असणे, राहणे… See more ～である, ～だ, （場所に）いる… See more be' fiili, olmak anlamında bir şeyi tasvir etmek ya da bilgi vermek için kullanılır, birinin ya da bir şeyin durumunu belirtmek için kullanılır… See more être, (utilisé avec le participe présent dans les temps progressifs), (utilisé au conditionnel pour parler de quelque chose qu’on imagine)… See more ésser, estar, s’utilitza amb la forma en -ing d’un altre verb per a descriure accions en curs… See more zijn, zullen, worden… See more நிரந்தர அல்லது தற்காலிக தரம், நிலை, வேலை போன்றவற்றைக் காட்ட… See more होना, स्थायी या अस्थायी गुणवत्ता, अवस्था… See more કોઈ વ્યક્તિ, વસ્તુ કે સ્થિતિ વિષે કઈ કહેવા અથવા, કાયમી કે હંગામી ગુણ-લક્ષણ… See more være i færd med, skulle, blive… See more oöversatt hjälpverb, skall el. oöversatt hjälpverb: jag åker till London, vara… See more sedang, akan, telah… See more sein, im Begriff sein zu, wurde… See more bli, være (i ferd med), være… See more کسی فرد، جگہ یا چیز کاہونا جس سے اس کےمستقل یا عارضی معیار، حالت ، کام وغیرہ کا اندازہ ہو،زندہ ہونا, موجود ہونا, کسی جگہ یا وقت کے اندر کسی فرد یا چیز کےہونے… See more у сполученні з present participle служить для утворення форми progressive чи continuous, у сполученні з present participle служить для утворення форми future, у сполученні з past participle служить для утворення форми passive… See more ఉండు, అగు, అవు… See more হওয়া, হয়ে ওঠা, কোনো ব্যক্তি… See more forma slovesa BE používaná k vytvoření průběhového času, forma slovesa BE používaná k vytvoření jednoho z budoucích časů, být… See more berfungsi untuk menyatakan kalimat sedang, akan, berfungsi membentuk kalimat pasif… See more ใช้กับรูปกริยา present participle แสดงการกระทำที่กำลังเกิดขึ้นในปัจจุบัน, ใช้กับรูปกริยา present participle แสดงการกระทำที่จะเกิดขึ้นในอนาคต, ใช้กับรูปกริยา past participle แสดงกรรมวาจก… See more đang, định, sẽ… See more być, stanowić, (= używany w konstrukcji ciągłej z formą -ing czasownika… See more (사람이나 사물을 묘사할때 쓰임)-이다, (위치의 의미에서)-에 있다, “ing”형태로 현재 진행형으로 쓰인다… See more essere, verbo ausiliare usato con il participio presente di altri verbi per esprimere azioni che continuano a svolgersi al presente ed al passato, verbo ausiliare usato con il participio presente di altri verbi per esprimere azioni programmate nel futuro… See more Need a translator?

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BCI bcnu BDI BDSM be be (a) no go idiom be (a) party to something idiom be (a) testimony to something phrase be (all) out of time phrase {{#randomImageQuizHook.filename}} {{#randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} Test your vocabulary with our fun image quizzes Try a quiz now {{/randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{^randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{/randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{/randomImageQuizHook.filename}}

More meanings of be

• to-be
• be-all
• Be, at beryllium
• glory
• would-be
• be careful
• bride-to-be

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allergy

UK /ˈæl.ə.dʒi/ US /ˈæl.ɚ.dʒi/

a condition that makes a person become sick or develop skin or breathing problems because they have eaten certain foods or been near certain substances

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• English   
  • Verb 
    • be (DESCRIPTION)
    • be (ALLOW)
    • be (FUTURE)
    • be (CAN)
    • be (EXIST)
  • Auxiliary verb 
    • be (CONTINUE)
    • be (PASSIVE)
• American   
  • Verb 
    • be (RELATIONSHIP)
    • be (EXIST)
  • Auxiliary verb 
    • be (CONTINUE)
    • be (PASSIVE)
    • be (POSSIBLE CONDITION)
    • be (FUTURE)
    • be (ALLOW)

• Translations
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