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Be definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

BE, v.i. substantive, ppr.being; pp.been.[The sense is to stand, remain or be fixed; hence to continue. This verb is defective, and its defects are supplied by verbs from other roots, as, is, was, were, which have no radical connection with be. The case is the same with the substantive verb in most languages.]
1. To be fixed; to exist; to have a real state or existence,for a longer or shorter time.
Let this mind be in you, which was in Christ Jesus. Philippians 2.
To be, contents his natural desire.
2. To be made to be; to become.
And they twain shall be one flesh. Math.19. Jeremiah 32.
3. To remain. Let the garment be as it was made.
4. To be present in a place. Where was I at the time? When will you be at my house?
5. To have a particular manner of being or happening; as, how is this affair? how was it? what were the circumstances?
This verb is used as an auxiliary in forming the tenses of other verbs, and particularly in giving them the passive form; as, he has been disturbed. It forms, with the infinitive, a particular future tense, which often expresses duty, necessity or purpose; as, government is to be supported; we are to pay our just debts.
Let be is to omit,or leave untouched; to let alone.
Let be,said he, my prey.
BE, a prefix, as in because, before, beset, bedeck,is the same word as by. It is common to the English, Saxon, Gothic, German, Dutch, Danish and Swedish languages. It occurs probably in the Russian, but is written po, as it is in possideo and a few other words in the Latin. It denotes nearness, closeness, about, or, at, from some root signifying to pass or to press. [See By.]
That this word is the Shemitic, used as a prefix, is certain, not only from its general applications, which may be seen by comparing the uses of the word, in the Heb. for instance, with those in the Saxon; but from its use in particular phrases, particularly in its use before the name of the Supreme being in swearing.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a light strong brittle grey toxic bivalent metallic element [syn: beryllium, Be, glucinium, atomic number 4] v
1: have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun); "John is rich"; "This is not a good answer"
2: be identical to; be someone or something; "The president of the company is John Smith"; "This is my house"
3: occupy a certain position or area; be somewhere; "Where is my umbrella?" "The toolshed is in the back"; "What is behind this behavior?"
4: have an existence, be extant; "Is there a God?" [syn: exist, be]
5: happen, occur, take place; "I lost my wallet; this was during the visit to my parents' house"; "There were two hundred people at his funeral"; "There was a lot of noise in the kitchen"
6: be identical or equivalent to; "One dollar equals 1,000 rubles these days!" [syn: equal, be] [ant: differ]
7: form or compose; "This money is my only income"; "The stone wall was the backdrop for the performance"; "These constitute my entire belonging"; "The children made up the chorus"; "This sum represents my entire income for a year"; "These few men comprise his entire army" [syn: constitute, represent, make up, comprise, be]
8: work in a specific place, with a specific subject, or in a specific function; "He is a herpetologist"; "She is our resident philosopher" [syn: be, follow]
9: represent, as of a character on stage; "Derek Jacobi was Hamlet" [syn: embody, be, personify]
10: spend or use time; "I may be an hour"
11: have life, be alive; "Our great leader is no more"; "My grandfather lived until the end of war" [syn: be, live]
12: to remain unmolested, undisturbed, or uninterrupted -- used only in infinitive form; "let her be"
13: be priced at; "These shoes cost $100" [syn: cost, be]

Merriam Webster's

verb (past first & third singular was; second singular were; plural were; past subjunctive were; past part been; present part being; present first singular am; second singular are; third singular is; plural are; present subjunctive be) Etymology: Middle English, from Old English b?on; akin to Old High German bim am, Latin fui I have been, futurus about to be, fieri to become, be done, Greek phynai to be born, be by nature, phyein to produce Date: before 12th century intransitive verb 1. a. to equal in meaning ; have the same connotation as ; symbolize <God is love> <January is the first month> <let x be 10> b. to have identity with <the first person I met was my brother> c. to constitute the same class as d. to have a specified qualification or characterization <the leaves are green> e. to belong to the class of <the fish is a trout> — used regularly in senses 1a through 1e as the copula of simple predication 2. a. to have an objective existence ; have reality or actuality ; live <I think, therefore I am> <once upon a time there was a knight> b. to have, maintain, or occupy a place, situation, or position <the book is on the table> c. to remain unmolested, undisturbed, or uninterrupted — used only in infinitive form <let him be> d. to take place ; occur <the concert was last night> e. to come or go <has already been and gone> <has never been to the circus> f. archaic belong, befall verbal auxiliary 1. — used with the past participle of transitive verbs as a passive-voice auxiliary <the money was found> <the house is being built> 2. — used as the auxiliary of the present participle in progressive tenses expressing continuous action <he is reading> <I have been sleeping> 3. — used with the past participle of some intransitive verbs as an auxiliary forming archaic perfect tenses <Christ is risen from the dead — 1 Corinthians
15:20(Douay Version)> 4. — used with the infinitive with to to express futurity, arrangement in advance, or obligation <I am to interview him today> <she was to become famous>

Merriam Webster's

symbol beryllium

Merriam Webster's

abbreviation 1. bachelor of education 2. bachelor of engineering 3. bill of exchange 4. Black English

Oxford Reference Dictionary

abbr. 1 Bachelor of Education. 2 Bachelor of Engineering. 3 bill of exchange.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

symb. Chem. the element beryllium.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. & v.aux. (sing. present am; are; is; pl. present are; 1st and 3rd sing. past was; 2nd sing. past and pl. past were; present subj. be; past subj. were; pres. part. being; past part. been) --v.intr. 1 (often prec. by there) exist, live (I think, therefore I am; there is a house on the corner; there is no God). 2 a occur; take place (dinner is at eight). b occupy a position in space (he is in the garden; she is from abroad; have you been to Paris?). 3 remain, continue (let it be). 4 linking subject and predicate, expressing: a identity (she is the person; today is Thursday). b condition (he is ill today). c state or quality (he is very kind; they are my friends). d opinion (I am against hanging). e total (two and two are four). f cost or significance (it is £5 to enter; it is nothing to me). --v.aux. 1 with a past participle to form the passive mood (it was done; it is said; we shall be helped). 2 with a present participle to form continuous tenses (we are coming; it is being cleaned). 3 with an infinitive to express duty or commitment, intention, possibility, destiny, or hypothesis (I am to tell you; we are to wait here; he is to come at four; it was not to be found; they were never to meet again; if I were to die). 4 archaic with the past participle of intransitive verbs to form perfect tenses (the sun is set; Babylon is fallen). Phrases and idioms: be about occupy oneself with (is about his business). be-all and end-all colloq. (often foll. by of) the whole being or essence. be at occupy oneself with (what is he at?; mice have been at the food). been (or been and gone) and sl. an expression of protest or surprise (he's been and taken my car!). be off colloq. go away; leave. be that as it may see MAY. -to-be of the future (in comb. : bride-to-be). Etymology: OE beo(m), (e)am, is, (e)aron; past f. OE wæs f. wesan to be; there are numerous Gmc cognates

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Be Be, v. i. [imp. Was; p. p. Been; p. pr. & vb. n. Being.] [OE. been, beon, AS. be['o]n to be, be['o]m I am; akin to OHG. bim, pim, G. bin, I am, Gael. & Ir. bu was, W. bod to be, Lith. bu-ti, O. Slav. by-ti, to be, L. fu-i I have been, fu-turus about to be, fo-re to be about to be, and perh to fieri to become, Gr. ? to be born, to be, Skr. bh? to be. This verb is defective, and the parts lacking are supplied by verbs from other roots, is, was, which have no radical connection with be. The various forms, am, are, is, was, were, etc., are considered grammatically as parts of the verb ``to be'', which, with its conjugational forms, is often called the substantive verb. ?97. Cf. Future, Physic.] 1. To exist actually, or in the world of fact; to have ex?stence. To be contents his natural desire. --Pope. To be, or not to be: that is the question. --Shak. 2. To exist in a certain manner or relation, -- whether as a reality or as a product of thought; to exist as the subject of a certain predicate, that is, as having a certain attribute, or as belonging to a certain sort, or as identical with what is specified, -- a word or words for the predicate being annexed; as, to be happy; to be here; to be large, or strong; to be an animal; to be a hero; to be a nonentity; three and two are five; annihilation is the cessation of existence; that is the man. 3. To take place; to happen; as, the meeting was on Thursday. 4. To signify; to represent or symbolize; to answer to. The field is the world. --Matt. xiii. 38. The seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches. --Rev. i. 20. Note: The verb to be (including the forms is, was, etc.) is used in forming the passive voice of other verbs; as, John has been struck by James. It is also used with the past participle of many intransitive verbs to express a state of the subject. But have is now more commonly used as the auxiliary, though expressing a different sense; as, ``Ye have come too late -- but ye are come. '' ``The minstrel boy to the war is gone.'' The present and imperfect tenses form, with the infinitive, a particular future tense, which expresses necessity, duty, or purpose; as, government is to be supported; we are to pay our just debts; the deed is to be signed to-morrow. Note: Have or had been, followed by to, implies movement. ``I have been to Paris.'' --Sydney Smith. ``Have you been to Franchard ?'' --R. L. Stevenson. Note: Been, or ben, was anciently the plural of the indicative present. ``Ye ben light of the world.'' --Wyclif, Matt. v. 14. Afterwards be was used, as in our Bible: ``They that be with us are more than they that be with them.'' --2 Kings vi. 16. Ben was also the old infinitive: ``To ben of such power.'' --R. of Gloucester. Be is used as a form of the present subjunctive: ``But if it be a question of words and names.'' --Acts xviii. 15. But the indicative forms, is and are, with if, are more commonly used. Be it so, a phrase of supposition, equivalent to suppose it to be so; or of permission, signifying let it be so. --Shak. If so be, in case. To be from, to have come from; as, from what place are you ? I am from Chicago. To let be, to omit, or leave untouched; to let alone. ``Let be, therefore, my vengeance to dissuade.'' --Spenser. Syn: To be, Exist. Usage: The verb to be, except in a few rare case, like that of Shakespeare's ``To be, or not to be'', is used simply as a copula, to connect a subject with its predicate; as, man is mortal; the soul is immortal. The verb to exist is never properly used as a mere copula, but points to things that stand forth, or have a substantive being; as, when the soul is freed from all corporeal alliance, then it truly exists. It is not, therefore, properly synonymous with to be when used as a copula, though occasionally made so by some writers for the sake of variety; as in the phrase ``there exists [is] no reason for laying new taxes.'' We may, indeed, say, ``a friendship has long existed between them,'' instead of saying, ``there has long been a friendship between them;'' but in this case, exist is not a mere copula. It is used in its appropriate sense to mark the friendship as having been long in existence.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

I. AUXILIARY VERB USES (am, are, is, being, was, were, been) Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. Note: In spoken English, forms of 'be' are often shortened, for example 'I am' is shortened to 'I'm' and 'was not' is shortened to 'wasn't'. 1. You use be with a present participle to form the continuous tenses of verbs. This is happening in every school throughout the country... She didn't always think carefully about what she was doing... be going to: see going AUX: AUX -ing, AUX -ing 2. You use be with a past participle to form the passive voice. Forensic experts were called in... Her husband was killed in a car crash... The cost of electricity from coal-fired stations is expected to fall... Similar action is being taken by the US government. AUX: AUX -ed, AUX -ed, AUX -ed, AUX -ed 3. You use be with an infinitive to indicate that something is planned to happen, that it will definitely happen, or that it must happen. The talks are to begin tomorrow... It was to be Johnson's first meeting with the board in nearly a month... You are to answer to Brian, to take your orders from him. be about to: see about AUX: AUX to-inf, AUX to-inf, AUX to-inf 4. You use be with an infinitive to say or ask what should happen or be done in a particular situation, how it should happen, or who should do it. What am I to do without him?... Who is to say which of them had more power?... AUX: AUX to-inf, AUX to-inf 5. You use was and were with an infinitive to talk about something that happened later than the time you are discussing, and was not planned or certain at that time. Then he received a phone call that was to change his life... A few hours later he was to prove it. AUX: AUX to-inf, AUX to-inf 6. You can say that something is to be seen, heard, or found in a particular place to mean that people can see it, hear it, or find it in that place. Little traffic was to be seen on the streets... They are to be found all over the world. AUX: AUX -ed, AUX -ed II. OTHER VERB USES (am, are, is, being, was, were, been) Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. Note: In spoken English, forms of 'be' are often shortened, for example 'I am' is shortened to 'I'm' and 'was not' is shortened to 'wasn't'. 1. You use be to introduce more information about the subject, such as its identity, nature, qualities, or position. She's my mother... He is a very attractive man... My grandfather was a butcher... The fact that you were willing to pay in the end is all that matters... The sky was black... It is 1,267 feet high... Cheney was in Madrid... His house is next door... 'Is it safe?'—'Well of course it is.'... He's still alive isn't he? V-LINK: V n, V n, V n, V n, V adj, V adj, V prep/adv, V prep/adv, V, V 2. You use be, with 'it' as the subject, in clauses where you are describing something or giving your judgment of a situation. It was too chilly for swimming... Sometimes it is necessary to say no... It is likely that investors will face losses... It's nice having friends to chat to... It's a good thing I brought lots of handkerchiefs... It's no good just having meetings... It's a good idea to avoid refined food... It's up to us to prove it. V-LINK: it V adj, it V adj to-inf, it V adj that, it V adj -ing, it V n that, it V n -ing, it V n to-inf, it V prep to-inf 3. You use be with the impersonal pronoun 'there' in expressions like there is and there are to say that something exists or happens. Clearly there is a problem here... There are very few cars on this street... There was nothing new in the letter... V-LINK: there V n, there V n, there V n 4. You use be as a link between a subject and a clause and in certain other clause structures, as shown below. It was me she didn't like, not what I represented... What the media should not do is to exploit people's natural fears... Our greatest problem is convincing them... The question was whether protection could be improved... All she knew was that I'd had a broken marriage... Local residents said it was as if there had been a nuclear explosion. V-LINK: V n, V to-inf, V -ing, V wh, V that, V as if 5. You use be in expressions like the thing is and the point is to introduce a clause in which you make a statement or give your opinion. (SPOKEN) The fact is, the players gave everything they had... The plan is good; the problem is it doesn't go far enough. V-LINK: V cl, V cl 6. You use be in expressions like to be fair, to be honest, or to be serious to introduce an additional statement or opinion, and to indicate that you are trying to be fair, honest, or serious. She's always noticed. But then, to be honest, Ghislaine likes being noticed... It enabled students to devote more time to their studies, or to be more accurate, more time to relaxation. V-LINK: V adj, V adj 7. The form 'be' is used occasionally instead of the normal forms of the present tense, especially after 'whether'. (FORMAL) The chemical agent, whether it be mustard gas or nerve gas, can be absorbed by the skin. V-LINK: be n 8. If something is, it exists. (mainly FORMAL or LITERARY) VERB 9. To be yourself means to behave in the way that is right and natural for you and your personality. She'd learnt to be herself and to stand up for her convictions. V-LINK: V pron-refl 10. If you talk about what would happen if it wasn't for someone or something, you mean that they are the only thing that is preventing it from happening. I could happily move back into a flat if it wasn't for the fact that I'd miss my garden... If it hadn't been for her your father would be alive today. PHRASE: V inflects, PHR n 11. You say 'Be that as it may' when you want to move onto another subject or go further with the discussion, without deciding whether what has just been said is right or wrong. 'Is he still just as fat?'—'I wouldn't know,' continued her mother, ignoring the interruption, 'and be that as it may, he has made a fortune.' PHRASE [vagueness]

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. n. [In its substantive sense.] Exist (whether in fact or in imagination), subsist, have existence, have being.

Moby Thesaurus

abide, be extant, be found, be in existence, be met with, be present, be the case, be there, breathe, come, continue, endure, exist, go on, happen to be, have being, have place, hold, live, move, obtain, occur, persist, prevail, remain, stand, subsist