BE

Verb forms

Present simple: I am ... you / we / they are ... he / she / it is

Present simple (negative): I am not ... you / we / they are not/aren't ... he / she / it is not/isn't

Past simple: I / he / she / it was ... you / they were

Past simple (negative): I / he / she / it was not/wasn't ... you / they were not/weren't

Past participle: been

-ing form: being

[/DIV.WBG]Sense 1

Meaning:

Spend or use time

Example:

I may be an hour

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Hypernyms (to "be" is one way to...):

occupy; take; use up (require (time or space))

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sense 2

Meaning:

Work in a specific place, with a specific subject, or in a specific function

Example:

She is our resident philosopher

Synonyms:

be; follow

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "be"):

vet (work as a veterinarian)

cox (act as the coxswain, in a boat race)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Somebody ----s PP

Sense 3

Meaning:

Have an existence, be extant

Example:

Is there a God?

Synonyms:

be; exist

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "be"):

come (be found or available)

preexist (exist beforehand or prior to a certain point in time)

kick about; kick around; knock about (be around; be alive or active)

coexist; cohabit (exist together)

indwell (to exist as an inner activating spirit, force, or principle)

hold; obtain; prevail (be valid, applicable, or true)

consist; dwell; lie; lie in (originate (in))

endanger; imperil; jeopardise; jeopardize; menace; peril; threaten (pose a threat to; present a danger to)

flow (be abundantly present)

distribute (be distributed or spread, as in statistical analyses)

dwell; inhabit (exist or be situated within)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP

Derivation:

being (the state or fact of existing)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun)

Example:

This is not a good answer

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "be"):

look (have a certain outward or facial expression)

hurt; suffer (feel pain or be in pain)

be well (be healthy; feel good)

suffer (feel unwell or uncomfortable)

feel (be conscious of a physical, mental, or emotional state)

remain; rest; stay (stay the same; remain in a certain state)

continue (exist over a prolonged period of time)

coruscate; scintillate; sparkle (be lively or brilliant or exhibit virtuosity)

bedevil; befuddle; confound; confuse; discombobulate; fox; fuddle; throw (be confusing or perplexing to; cause to be unable to think clearly)

rank (take or have a position relative to others)

point (be positionable in a specified manner)

need; require; want (have need of)

compact; pack (have the property of being packable or of compacting easily)

rest (not move; be in a resting position)

cut (allow incision or separation)

boil; seethe (be in an agitated emotional state)

moon about; moon around; mope (be apathetic, gloomy, or dazed)

appear; look; seem (give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect)

appear; seem (seem to be true, probable, or apparent)

owe (be in debt)

belong (be owned by; be in the possession of)

cover (be sufficient to meet, defray, or offset the charge or cost of)

represent (be representative or typical for)

account (be the sole or primary factor in the existence, acquisition, supply, or disposal of something)

cut across (be contrary to ordinary procedure or limitations)

begin; start (have a beginning characterized in some specified way)

begin (have a beginning, of a temporal event)

stand (be in some specified state or condition)

define; delimit; delimitate; delineate; specify (determine the essential quality of)

go (be or continue to be in a certain condition)

add up; make sense (be reasonable or logical or comprehensible)

comprise; consist (be composed of)

prove; turn out; turn up (be shown or be found to be)

account for (be the reason or explanation for)

remain (be left; of persons, questions, problems, results, evidence, etc.)

adhere; stand by; stick; stick by (be loyal to)

footle; hang around; lallygag; linger; loaf; loiter; lollygag; lounge; lurk; mess about; mill about; mill around; tarry (be about)

add up; amount; come; number; total (add up in number or quantity)

count; matter; weigh (have weight; have import, carry weight)

rate (be worthy of or have a certain rating)

deserve; merit (be worthy or deserving)

buy (be worth or be capable of buying)

shine (be clear and obvious)

fall (be due)

depend (be contingent upon (something that is elided))

underlie (be or form the base for)

behoove; behove (be appropriate or necessary)

stink (be extremely bad in quality or in one's performance)

blow; suck (be inadequate or objectionable)

delimit; subtend (be opposite to; of angles and sides, in geometry)

body forth; embody; incarnate; substantiate (represent in bodily form)

contain; hold; take (be capable of holding or containing)

be; cost (be priced at)

measure (have certain dimensions)

buzz; hum; seethe (be noisy with activity)

abound (be abundant or plentiful; exist in large quantities)

disaccord; disagree; discord (be different from one another)

gape; yaw; yawn (be wide open)

be given; incline; lean; run; tend (have a tendency or disposition to do or be something; be inclined)

go; run (have a particular form)

enter; figure (be or play a part of or in)

press (be urgent)

rage (be violent; as of fires and storms)

interrelate; relate (be in a relationship with)

rut (be in a state of sexual excitement; of male mammals)

stagnate (cease to flow; stand without moving)

stagnate (stand still)

come in handy (be useful for a certain purpose)

squat (be close to the earth, or be disproportionately wide)

hoodoo (bring bad luck; be a source of misfortune)

impend (be imminent or about to happen)

range; run (change or be different within limits)

continue; remain; stay; stay on (continue in a place, position, or situation)

sell (be sold at a certain price or in a certain way)

translate (be translatable, or be translatable in a certain way)

head; head up (be the first or leading member of (a group) and excel)

come in for (be subject to or the object of)

compare (be comparable)

come; fall (come under, be classified or included)

encounter; run into (be beset by)

gravitate (be attracted to)

pay (be worth it)

diverge (have no limits as a mathematical series)

shine (be distinguished or eminent)

iridesce (be iridescent)

lie (be and remain in a particular state or condition)

stand (occupy a place or location, also metaphorically)

hang (be menacing, burdensome, or oppressive)

litter (strew)

suit (be agreeable or acceptable)

end; terminate (be the end of; be the last or concluding part of)

fit (conform to some shape or size)

lend (have certain characteristics of qualities for something; be open or vulnerable to)

let go (be relaxed)

belong (be rightly classified in a class or category)

belong (be suitable or acceptable)

curve; twist; wind (extend in curves and turns)

jumble; mingle (be all mixed up or jumbled together)

promise (give grounds for expectations)

accept; take (be designed to hold or take)

clean (be cleanable)

draw (allow a draft)

wash (be capable of being washed)

balance (be in equilibrium)

come; hail (be a native of)

act (be suitable for theatrical performance)

test (show a certain characteristic when tested)

seem (appear to exist)

answer (be liable or accountable)

beat (be superior)

hold (have as a major characteristic)

count (have a certain value or carry a certain weight)

contain (be divisible by)

connect (be scheduled so as to provide continuing service, as in transportation)

sell (be responsible for the sale of)

sell (be approved of or gain acceptance)

kill (be fatal)

make (be suitable for)

adorn; beautify; deck; decorate; embellish; grace (be beautiful to look at)

consist (have its essential character; be comprised or contained in; be embodied in)

work (behave in a certain way when handled)

lubricate (have lubricating properties)

breathe (allow the passage of air through)

trim (be in equilibrium during a flight)

swing (have a certain musical rhythm)

osculate (be intermediate between two taxonomic groups)

retard (be delayed)

transplant (be transplantable)

cohere (have internal elements or parts logically connected so that aesthetic consistency results)

object (be averse to or express disapproval of)

stick (be or become fixed)

recognize (exhibit recognition for (an antigen or a substrate))

distribute (be mathematically distributive)

put out (be sexually active)

bake; broil (be very hot, due to hot weather or exposure to the sun)

drown; swim (be covered with or submerged in a liquid)

swim (be dizzy or giddy)

belong (be a member, adherent, inhabitant, etc. (of a group, organization, or place))

Sentence frames:

Something is ----ing PP
Something ----s Adjective/Noun
Somebody ----s Adjective
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Somebody ----s PP

Sentence example:

John will be angry

Sense 5

Meaning:

Have life, be alive

Example:

My grandfather lived until the end of war

Synonyms:

be; live

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Verb group:

endure; go; hold out; hold up; last; live; live on; survive (continue to live and avoid dying)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s

Derivation:

being (a living thing that has (or can develop) the ability to act or function independently)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Be identical to; be someone or something

Example:

This is my house

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sense 7

Meaning:

Form or compose

Example:

These few men comprise his entire army

Synonyms:

be; comprise; constitute; make up; represent

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "be"):

make (constitute the essence of)

compose (form the substance of)

constitute; form; make (to compose or represent)

range; straddle (range or extend over; occupy a certain area)

fall into; fall under (be included in or classified as)

pose; present (introduce)

supplement (serve as a supplement to)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sense 8

Meaning:

Occupy a certain position or area; be somewhere

Example:

What is behind this behavior?

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "be"):

stretch; stretch along (occupy a large, elongated area)

attend; go to (be present at (meetings, church services, university), etc.)

fill; occupy (occupy the whole of)

dwell; inhabit; live; populate (be an inhabitant of or reside in)

inhabit (be present in)

keep one's distance; keep one's eyes off; keep one's hands off; stand back; stay away (stay clear of, avoid)

extend to; reach; touch (to extend as far as)

extend; go; lead; pass; run (stretch out over a distance, space, time, or scope; run or extend between two points or beyond a certain point)

go; lead (lead, extend, or afford access)

continue; cover; extend (span an interval of distance, space or time)

extend; poke out; reach out (reach outward in space)

lie (be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position)

sit (be located or situated somewhere)

sit; sit around (be around, often idly or without specific purpose)

face (be opposite)

straddle (sit or stand astride of)

follow (be next)

center on (have as a center)

lie; rest (have a place in relation to something else)

belong; go (be in the right place or situation)

come (exist or occur in a certain point in a series)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s PP

Sense 9

Meaning:

Be identical or equivalent to

Example:

One dollar equals 1,000 rubles these days!

Synonyms:

be; equal

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "be"):

correspond; equate (be equivalent or parallel, in mathematics)

agree; check; correspond; fit; gibe; jibe; match; tally (be compatible, similar or consistent; coincide in their characteristics)

correspond; represent; stand for (take the place of or be parallel or equivalent to)

translate (be equivalent in effect)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Sense 10

Meaning:

Represent, as of a character on stage

Example:

Derek Jacobi was Hamlet

Synonyms:

be; embody; personify

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Hypernyms (to "be" is one way to...):

represent; stand for; symbolise; symbolize; typify (express indirectly by an image, form, or model; be a symbol)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "be"):

body; personify (invest with or as with a body; give body to)

exemplify; represent (be characteristic of)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sense 11

Meaning:

Be priced at

Example:

These shoes cost $100

Synonyms:

be; cost

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Hypernyms (to "be" is one way to...):

be (have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun))

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "be"):

knock back; put back; set back (cost a certain amount)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s something

Sense 12

Meaning:

To remain unmolested, undisturbed, or uninterrupted -- used only in infinitive form

Example:

let her be

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Hypernyms (to "be" is one way to...):

remain; rest; stay (stay the same; remain in a certain state)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Sense 13

Meaning:

Happen, occur, take place

Example:

There was a lot of noise in the kitchen

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s
Something is ----ing PP
Somebody ----s PP

Credits

 Context examples: 

“Hello! somebody comin’ our way,” he was saying.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

A response indicating that an individual is or has experienced something and that they are a little concerned.

(A Little Concerned, NCI Thesaurus)

However, at last it was agreed he should go, for he would not rest at home; and as he came to the wood, he met the fox, and heard the same good counsel.

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

Proto-LBC is membrane bound; onco-LBC is cytosolic.

(A Kinase Anchor Protein 13, NCI Thesaurus)

A-DNA is a shorter and wider helix than B-DNA.

(A-DNA, NCI Thesaurus)

Antibodies to this protein can be produced by patients with myasthenia gravis.

(A Kinase Anchor Protein 12, NCI Thesaurus/LocusLink)

Polybasic regions are involved in binding PKC.

(A Kinase Anchor Protein 12, NCI Thesaurus)

Uncle Henry sat upon the doorstep and looked anxiously at the sky, which was even grayer than usual.

(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)

A medical device is any product used to diagnose, cure, or treat a condition, or to prevent disease.

(Medical Device Safety, Food and Drug Administration)

Many of us would love to believe that chocolate is a health food.

(Can Chocolate Really Be Good for You?, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

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