being

[ bee-ing ]

/ ˈbi ɪŋ /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR being ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the fact of existing; existence (as opposed to nonexistence).

conscious, mortal existence; life: Our being is as an instantaneous flash of light in the midst of eternal night.

substance or nature: of such a being as to arouse fear.

something that exists: inanimate beings.

a living thing: strange, exotic beings that live in the depths of the sea.

a human being; person: the most beautiful being you could imagine.

(initial capital letter) God.

Philosophy.

that which has actuality either materially or in idea.
absolute existence in a complete or perfect state, lacking no essential characteristic; essence.

conjunction

Nonstandard. since; because; considering that (often followed by as, as how, or that): Being it's midnight, let's go home. Being as how you cooked supper, I'll do the dishes.

Origin of being

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at be, -ing¹

OTHER WORDS FROM being

non·be·ing, noun, adjective su·per·be·ing, noun

Words nearby being

beige, beigel, beignet, beijing, beilan pass, being, beira, beirut, beit knesset, beja, bejabbers

Definition for being (2 of 2)

[ bee; unstressed bee, bi ]

/ bi; unstressed bi, bɪ /

verb (used without object), present singular 1st person am, 2nd are or (Archaic) art, 3rd is, present plural are; past singular 1st person was, 2nd were or (Archaic) wast or wert, 3rd was, past plural were; present subjunctive be; past subjunctive singular 1st person were, 2nd were or (Archaic) wert, 3rd were; past subjunctive plural were; past participle been; present participle be·ing.

to exist or live: Shakespeare's “To be or not to be” is the ultimate question.

to take place; happen; occur: The wedding was last week.

to occupy a place or position: The book is on the table.

to continue or remain as before: Let things be.

to belong; attend; befall: May good fortune be with you.

(used as a copula to connect the subject with its predicate adjective, or predicate nominative, in order to describe, identify, or amplify the subject): Martha is tall. John is president. This is she.

(used as a copula to introduce or form interrogative or imperative sentences): Is that right? Be quiet! Don't be facetious.

auxiliary verb, present singular 1st person am, 2nd are or (Archaic) art, 3rd is, present plural are; past singular 1st person was, 2nd were or (Archaic) wast or wert, 3rd was, past plural were; present subjunctive be; past subjunctive singular 1st person were, 2nd were or (Archaic) wert, 3rd were; past subjunctive plural were; past participle been; present participle be·ing.

(used with the present participle of another verb to form the progressive tense): I am waiting.

(used with the present participle or infinitive of the principal verb to indicate future action): She is visiting there next week. He is to see me today.

(used with the past participle of another verb to form the passive voice): The date was fixed. It must be done.

(used in archaic or literary constructions with some intransitive verbs to form the perfect tense): He is come. Agamemnon to the wars is gone.

Origin of be

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

usage note for be

See me.

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH be

be bee

Example sentences from the Web for being

In 2011 LGBT media outlet Queerty took the app to task for allegedly deleting accounts that made reference to being trans.

Grindr’s Trans Dating Problem |David Levesley |January 9, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
Why, some might be asking, am I being so harsh on their work so soon after they died?

Trolls and Martyrdom: Je Ne Suis Pas Charlie |Arthur Chu |January 9, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
However, more than 20 players on the ballot this year were probably worthy of being enshrined in Cooperstown.

Conservative Curt Says His Politics, Not His Pitching, Kept Him Out of the Hall of Fame |Ben Jacobs |January 9, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
To do so is to deify a celebrity for being what we need them to be, while willfully ignoring who they really are.

Phylicia Rashad and the Cult of Cosby Truthers |Stereo Williams |January 8, 2015 |DAILY BEAST

He has wild swings between trying not to care about Lana and the baby, and being completely obsessed by it.

‘Archer’ Creator Adam Reed Spills Season 6 Secrets, From Surreal Plotlines to Life Post-ISIS |Marlow Stern |January 8, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
This work is being well administered by the Veterans' Bureau.

State of the Union Addresses of Calvin Coolidge |Calvin Coolidge
The women and children were being hurried to the ships, and two ladies were hastening past my friend.

The Angel and the Author - and Others |Jerome K. Jerome
Rousseau was right; he was a being apart; and the philosophers could not forgive him for his independence.

A Popular History of France From The Earliest Times |Francois Pierre Guillaume Guizot
I expected a blow for that, and tried to look as though I did not, being extremely anxious to return it with effect.

Some Persons Unknown |E. W. Hornung
To have a fire without a fire-engine is like being married at a registry-office.

Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 158, January 14, 1920 |Various

British Dictionary definitions for being (1 of 6)

being

/ (ˈbiːɪŋ) /

noun

the state or fact of existing; existence

essential nature; self she put her whole being into the part

something that exists or is thought to exist, esp something that cannot be assigned to any category a being from outer space

a person; human being

(in the philosophy of Aristotle) actuality Compare becoming (def. 3)

British Dictionary definitions for being (2 of 6)

the chemical symbol for

beryllium

British Dictionary definitions for being (3 of 6)

abbreviation for

bill of exchange

(in the US) Board of Education

Bachelor of Education

Bachelor of Engineering

British Dictionary definitions for being (4 of 6)

Bé

abbreviation for

Baumé

British Dictionary definitions for being (5 of 6)

be ¹

/ (biː, unstressed bɪ) /

verb present singular 1st person am; 2nd person are; 3rd person is; present plural are; past singular 1st person was; 2nd person were; 3rd person was; past plural were; present participle being or past participle been (intr)

to have presence in the realm of perceived reality; exist; live I think, therefore I am; not all that is can be understood

(used in the perfect or past perfect tenses only) to pay a visit; go have you been to Spain?

to take place; occur my birthday was last Thursday

(copula) used as a linking verb between the subject of a sentence and its noun or adjective complement or complementing phrase. In this case be expresses the relationship of either essential or incidental equivalence or identity (John is a man; John is a musician) or specifies an essential or incidental attribute (honey is sweet; Susan is angry). It is also used with an adverbial complement to indicate a relationship of location in space or time (Bill is at the office; the dance is on Saturday)

(takes a present participle) forms the progressive present tense the man is running

(takes a past participle) forms the passive voice of all transitive verbs and (archaically) certain intransitive ones a good film is being shown on television tonight; I am done

(takes an infinitive) expresses intention, expectation, supposition, or obligation the president is to arrive at 9.30; you are not to leave before I say so

(takes a past participle) forms the perfect or past perfect tense of certain intransitive verbs of motion, such as go or come the last train is gone

be that as it may the facts concerning (something) are of no importance

Word Origin for be

Old English bēon; related to Old High German bim am, Latin fui I have been, Greek phuein to bring forth, Sanskrit bhavati he is

British Dictionary definitions for being (6 of 6)

be ²

the internet domain name for

Belgium

Medical definitions for being

The symbol for the elementberyllium

Scientific definitions for being

The symbol for beryllium.

Idioms and Phrases with being (1 of 2)

being

see for the moment (time being); other things being equal.

Idioms and Phrases with being (2 of 2)

In addition to the idioms beginning with be

be a credit to
be along
be big on
be bound to
be busted
bed and board
bed and breakfast
bed of roses
be down
bee in one's bonnet
been around
been had
been there, done that
been to the wars
beginning of the end, the
begin to see daylight
begin to see the light
begin with
beg off
beg the question
beg to differ
be had
be in on
be into
bell the cat, who will
be my guest
bend one's elbow
bend over backwards
bend someone's ear
be off
be on
be oneself
be on to
beside oneself
beside the point
be that as it may
be the death of
be the end of one
be the making of

also see:

let be

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

being

noun

conjunction

Origin of being

OTHER WORDS FROM being

Words nearby being

Definition for being (2 of 2)

Origin of be

usage note for be

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH be

Example sentences from the Web for being

British Dictionary definitions for being (1 of 6)

noun

British Dictionary definitions for being (2 of 6)

the chemical symbol for

British Dictionary definitions for being (3 of 6)

abbreviation for

British Dictionary definitions for being (4 of 6)

abbreviation for

British Dictionary definitions for being (5 of 6)

verb present singular 1st person am; 2nd person are; 3rd person is; present plural are; past singular 1st person was; 2nd person were; 3rd person was; past plural were; present participle being or past participle been (intr)

Word Origin for be

British Dictionary definitions for being (6 of 6)

the internet domain name for

Medical definitions for being

Scientific definitions for being

Idioms and Phrases with being (1 of 2)

Idioms and Phrases with being (2 of 2)

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

being

noun

conjunction

Origin of being

OTHER WORDS FROM being

Words nearby being

Definition for being (2 of 2)

Origin of be

usage note for be

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH be

Words related to being

Example sentences from the Web for being

British Dictionary definitions for being (1 of 6)

noun

British Dictionary definitions for being (2 of 6)

the chemical symbol for

British Dictionary definitions for being (3 of 6)

abbreviation for

British Dictionary definitions for being (4 of 6)

abbreviation for

British Dictionary definitions for being (5 of 6)

verb present singular 1st person am; 2nd person are; 3rd person is; present plural are; past singular 1st person was; 2nd person were; 3rd person was; past plural were; present participle being or past participle been (intr)

Word Origin for be

British Dictionary definitions for being (6 of 6)

the internet domain name for

Medical definitions for being

Scientific definitions for being

Idioms and Phrases with being (1 of 2)

Idioms and Phrases with being (2 of 2)