are

[ ahr; unstressed er ]

/ ɑr; unstressed ər /

verb

present indicative plural and 2nd person singular of be.

Origin of are

before 900; Middle English aren, are, arn, Old English (Northumbrian) aron; cognate with Old Norse eru, 3rd person plural See art²

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH are

are hour our

Words nearby are

ardor, ardour, ards, arduous, ardèche, are, area, area bombing, area code, area of cardiac dullness, area of outstanding natural beauty

Definition for are (2 of 3)

are ²

[ air, ahr ]

/ ɛər, ɑr /

noun

a measure of surface area; 1 are is equal to1/100 (0.01) of a hectare (100 square meters or 119.6 square yards). Abbreviation: a

Origin of are

1810–20; < French < Latin ārea. See area

Definition for are (3 of 3)

[ 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

British Dictionary definitions for are (1 of 7)

are ¹

/ (ɑː, unstressed ə) /

verb

the plural form of the present tense (indicative mood) of the verb `be' and the singular form used with you

Word Origin for are

Old English aron, second person plural of bēon to be

British Dictionary definitions for are (2 of 7)

are ²

/ (ɑː) /

noun

a unit of area equal to 100 sq metres or 119.599 sq yards; one hundredth of a hectare Symbol: a

Word Origin for are

C19: from French, from Latin ārea piece of level ground; see area

British Dictionary definitions for are (3 of 7)

the chemical symbol for

beryllium

British Dictionary definitions for are (4 of 7)

abbreviation for

bill of exchange

(in the US) Board of Education

Bachelor of Education

Bachelor of Engineering

British Dictionary definitions for are (5 of 7)

Bé

abbreviation for

Baumé

British Dictionary definitions for are (6 of 7)

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 are (7 of 7)

be ²

the internet domain name for

Belgium

Medical definitions for are

The symbol for the elementberyllium

Scientific definitions for are

The symbol for beryllium.

Idioms and Phrases with are

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

are

verb

Origin of are

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH are

Words nearby are

Definition for are (2 of 3)

noun

Origin of are

Definition for are (3 of 3)

Origin of be

usage note for be

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH be

British Dictionary definitions for are (1 of 7)

verb

Word Origin for are

British Dictionary definitions for are (2 of 7)

noun

Word Origin for are

British Dictionary definitions for are (3 of 7)

the chemical symbol for

British Dictionary definitions for are (4 of 7)

abbreviation for

British Dictionary definitions for are (5 of 7)

abbreviation for

British Dictionary definitions for are (6 of 7)

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 are (7 of 7)

the internet domain name for

Medical definitions for are

Scientific definitions for are

Idioms and Phrases with are

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

are

verb

Origin of are

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH are

Words nearby are

Definition for are (2 of 3)

noun

Origin of are

Definition for are (3 of 3)

Origin of be

usage note for be

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH be

Words related to are

British Dictionary definitions for are (1 of 7)

verb

Word Origin for are

British Dictionary definitions for are (2 of 7)

noun

Word Origin for are

British Dictionary definitions for are (3 of 7)

the chemical symbol for

British Dictionary definitions for are (4 of 7)

abbreviation for

British Dictionary definitions for are (5 of 7)

abbreviation for

British Dictionary definitions for are (6 of 7)

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 are (7 of 7)

the internet domain name for

Medical definitions for are

Scientific definitions for are

Idioms and Phrases with are