be

verb

ˈbē How to pronounce be (audio)
Definition of benext
1
as in to live
to have life stories that begin with the familiar line "once upon a time there was a beautiful maiden"

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to stand
to occupy a place or location we'll be there waiting for you

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to rank
to take or have a certain position within a group arranged in vertical classes our school's football team is first in its division

Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in to happen
to take place the party is next Saturday

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of be There was an optimistic buzz on Thursday that De Luca and Abdy would also have gate rights on the Melrose lot, and potentially report into Kreiz, but that’s not the likely scenario. — Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 2 Oct. 2026 With the fearsome offense, strong defense, and good goalies, there is no doubt that this team will be tough once again. — Outkick, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026 Ventrone was asked if there was any thought about replacing Smith as the punt returner. — Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026 There are no companies in the portfolio scheduled to report earnings. — Jeff Marks, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for be
Recent Examples of Synonyms for be
  1. live
  2. stand
  3. rank
  4. happen
  5. exist
  6. lie
  7. place
  8. come
Verb
  • The prolific – and still very active – Bellocchio, who is 86, is considered the greatest living Italian director of the country’s old guard that came of age during the 1960s.
    — Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026
  • At the University of Tokyo, researchers have even grown living human skin over robotic digits to wrinkle naturally and mend wounds with collagen.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of live
Verb
  • Outdoor bars and pop-up tasting stands peppered the festival grounds, offering adult libations to the 21-and-over crowd dancing, moshing and rocking out all weekend.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Before the speaker’s podium stood a vase filled with white roses; to the right, a large photograph of the deceased.
    — Peter E. Gordon, The New York Review of Books, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of stand
Verb
  • The fact Chourio didn't automatically rank it atop the list speaks volumes about all the memorable moments the 22-year-old already has produced in his first three seasons.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Willis also entered Sunday ranked 29th in completion percentage at 57%, ahead of only one starter who hasn’t missed time due to injury (Love).
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of rank
Verb
  • Generally, meetings happen at least once per year, but the cadence may vary based on complexity and the scope of the engagement.
    — Kate Dore, CFP®, EA,Kelli Grant, CFP®, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Though he’s dedicated to Snook’s Arm, Calvin realizes that strange things are happening.
    — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of happen
Verb
  • This study springs from our existing research involving artificial intelligence (AI) and acoustics.
    — Jacqueline Ortoleva, Scientific American, 3 Oct. 2026
  • The president and his allies have insisted that existing liability laws offer enough protections.
    — Jeff Masonand Michael Shepard Bloomberg, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of exist
Verb
  • Past the lobby lie the consortium’s constellation of swimming pools (four total, including one Nobu-exclusive, adults-only dip) and, across the bustling boardwalk, a stretch of beach with loungers reserved just for guests.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The stars lied about their romance in press interviews for decades afterward.
    — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of lie
Verb
  • Hospitalized on September 29, doctors initially suspected a severe case of COVID-19 and placed her in an isolated respiratory ward.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 5 Oct. 2026
  • As Washington placed more tariffs on Chinese goods, supply chains shifted to Southeast Asia to take advantage of lower import duties.
    — Angelica Ang, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of place
Verb
  • This addresses a younger consumer and elevates Heinemann’s beauty offer with a strong local brand partner, which comes with its own selection highly dedicated to beauty subcategories.
    — Jennifer Weil, Footwear News, 6 Oct. 2026
  • News of Bloys’ new deal came the same day that the new Skydance unveiled its corporate structure.
    — Michael Schneider, Variety, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of come

Phrases Containing be

Browse Nearby Words

bazaars
be
beach
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Be.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/be. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on be

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about be

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All