English Dictionary

be

/biː/

verb

(intransitive, now usually literary) To exist; to have real existence, to be alive. / (with there, or dialectally it, as dummy subject) To exist. / (intransitive) To occupy a place.

I am happy.

意味（1）

(intransitive, now usually literary) To exist; to have real existence, to be alive.

The Universe has no explanation: it just is.

意味（2）

(with there, or dialectally it, as dummy subject) To exist.

Some men there are loue not a gaping Pigge: / Some that are mad, if they behold a Cat: / And others, when the bag-pipe sings i’th nose, / Cannot containe their Vrine for affection.

意味（3）

(intransitive) To occupy a place.

The cup is on the table.

意味（4）

(intransitive) To occur, to take place.

When will the meeting be?

意味（5）

(intransitive, in perfect tenses) Elliptical form of "be here", "go to and return from" or similar, also extending to certain other senses of "go".

The postman has been today, but my tickets have still not yet come.

意味（6）

(transitive, copulative) Used to indicate that the subject and object are the same.

Knowledge is bliss.

意味（7）

(transitive, copulative, mathematics) Used to indicate that the values on either side of an equation are the same.

3 times 5 is fifteen.

意味（8）

(transitive, copulative) Used to indicate that the subject is an instance of the predicate nominal.

A dog is an animal.

意味（9）

(transitive, copulative) Used to indicate that the subject plays the role of the predicate nominal.

François Mitterrand was president of France from 1981 to 1995.

意味（10）

(transitive, copulative) Used to indicate that the subject has the qualities described by an adjective.

The sky is blue.

意味（11）

(transitive, copulative) Used to indicate that the subject has the qualities described by a noun or noun phrase.

The sky is a deep blue today.

意味（12）

(transitive, auxiliary) Used to form the passive voice.

The dog was saved by the boy.

意味（13）

(transitive, auxiliary) Used to form the continuous aspect.

The woman is walking.

意味（14）

(auxiliary) Used to form the perfect aspect with certain intransitive verbs; this was more common in archaic use, especially with verbs indicating motion. "He is finished", and "He is gone" are common, but "He is come" is archaic.

They are not yet come back.

They are not yet come back. instead of the modern They have not yet come back.

意味（15）

(formal, transitive, auxiliary) Used to express future action as well as what is due to, intended to, or should happen.

They are to be married next month.

意味（16）

(transitive, copulative) Used to link a subject to a measurement.

This building is three hundred years old.

意味（17）

(transitive, copulative, with a cardinal numeral) Used to state the age of a subject in years.

I’m 20 (years old).

意味（18）

(with a dummy subject it) Used to indicate the time of day.

It is almost eight (o’clock).

意味（19）

(With since) Used to indicate passage of time since the occurrence of an event.

It has been three years since my grandmother died. (similar to My grandmother died three years ago, but emphasizes the intervening period)

意味（20）

(rare and regional, chiefly in the past tense) Used to link two noun clauses, the first of which is a day of the week, recurring date, month, or other specific time (on which the event of the main clause took place), and the second of which is a period of time indicating how long ago that day was.

I saw her Monday was a week: I saw her a week ago last Monday (a week before last Monday).

意味（21）

(often impersonal, with it as a dummy subject) Used to indicate weather, air quality, or the like.

It is hot in Arizona, but it is not usually humid.

意味（22）

(dynamic / lexical "be", especially in progressive tenses, conjugated non-suppletively in the present tense, see usage notes) To exist or behave in a certain way.

When I get sad, I stop being sad and be awesome instead.

意味（23）

(African-American Vernacular, Caribbean, auxiliary, not conjugated) To tend to do, often do; marks the habitual aspect.

Women be shoppin’! You cannot stop a woman from shoppin’!