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Be Very Common

Be has 18 different meanings across 4 categories:

Noun · Verb · Prep · Proper Noun

Definitions
Noun
1

a light strong brittle grey toxic bivalent metallic element

2

Bachelor of Engineering.

Verb
1

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

"John is rich"

"This is not a good answer"

be
2

be identical to; be someone or something

"The president of the company is John Smith"

"This is my house"

be
3

occupy a certain position or area; be somewhere

"Where is my umbrella?"

"The toolshed is in the back"

"What is behind this behavior?"

be
4

have an existence, be extant

"Is there a God?"

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"

be
6

be identical or equivalent to

"One dollar equals 1,000 rubles these days!"

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"

8

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

"He is a herpetologist"

"She is our resident philosopher"

9

represent, as of a character on stage

"Derek Jacobi was Hamlet"

10

spend or use time

"I may be an hour"

be
11

have life, be alive

"Our great leader is no more"

"My grandfather lived until the end of war"

12

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

"let her be"

be
13

be priced at

"These shoes cost $100"

14

To exist; to have real existence, to be alive.

Prep
1

Alternative form of by. Also found in compounds, especially oaths, e.g. begorra.

Proper Noun
1

Initialism of Black English.

Example Sentences
"John is rich" verb
"This is not a good answer" verb
"The president of the company is John Smith" verb
"This is my house" verb
"Where is my umbrella?" verb
"The toolshed is in the back" verb
"What is behind this behavior?" verb
"Is there a God?" verb
"I lost my wallet; this was during the visit to my parents' house" verb
"There were two hundred people at his funeral" verb
See Also
exist to be being was am come existence or not
Related Terms
Antonyms
differ
Broader Terms (hypernyms)
metallic element typify take stay be
Narrower Terms (hyponyms)
look suffer be well feel stay continue sparkle confuse rank point want compact rest cut seethe mope appear owe belong cover represent account cut across begin stand specify go make sense consist prove account for remain stand by loiter total count rate deserve buy shine fall depend underlie behoove stink suck subtend incarnate contain cost measure hum abound disagree gape tend run figure press rage relate rut stagnate come in handy squat hoodoo impend range sell translate head come in for compare run into gravitate pay diverge iridesce lie hang litter suit end fit lend let go wind jumble promise accept clean draw wash balance hail act test seem answer beat hold connect kill make deck work lubricate breathe trim swing osculate retard transplant cohere object stick recognize distribute put out bake swim stretch attend occupy populate inhabit stand back reach extend sit face straddle follow center on come preexist kick around coexist indwell prevail dwell endanger flow equate match compose form fall into present supplement vet cox body exemplify set back
Compare
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