be

  • verb (sing. present am; are; is; pl. present are; 1st and 3rd sing. past was; 2nd sing. past and pl. past were; present subjunctive be; past subjunctive were; present part. being; past part. been) 1 (usu. there is/are) exist; be present. 2 occur; take place. 3 have the specified state, nature, or role. 4 come; go; visit.

  • auxiliary verb 1 used with a present participle to form continuous tenses. 2 used with a past participle to form the passive voice. 3 used to indicate something that is due to, may, or should happen.

  — PHRASES the be-all and end-all informal the most important aspect of something. -to-be of the future: his bride-to-be.

  — ORIGIN Old English: an irregular verb whose full conjugation derives from several originally distinct verbs.

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