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the fact of existing; existence (as opposed to nonexistence).
conscious, mortal existence; life:
our being is as an instantaneous flash of light in the midst of eternal night.
substance or nature:
of such a being as to arouse fear.
something that exists:
inanimate beings.
a living thing:
strange, exotic beings that live in the depths of the sea.
a human being; person:
the most beautiful being you could imagine.
(initial capital letter) g-d.
philosophy.

that which has actuality either materially or in idea.
absolute existence in a complete or perfect state, lacking no essential characteristic; essence.

nonstandard. since; because; considering that (often followed by as, as how, or that):
being it’s midnight, let’s go home. being as how you cooked supper, i’ll do the dishes.
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.
(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 princ-p-l 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 p-ssive 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.
contemporary examples

jon ronson’s book bag: five books on madness jon ronson november 19, 2012
can microsoft come back? dan lyons’s month without apple and google dan lyons april 8, 2012
the daily beast’s best longreads, july 26, 2014 the daily beast july 25, 2014
the belarus free theatre’s bad-ss dissident artists get the hbo treatment katie baker july 6, 2014
the power of empty nesters mimi swartz june 29, 2009

historical examples

shoulder-straps henry morford
philothea lydia maria child
the long roll mary johnston
the spenders harry leon wilson
american boy’s life of theodore roosevelt edward stratemeyer

noun
the state or fact of existing; existence
essential nature; self: she put her whole being into the part
something that exists or is thought to exist, esp something that cannot be -ssigned to any category: a being from outer sp-ce
a person; human being
(in the philosophy of aristotle) actuality compare becoming (sense 3)
verb (intransitive) (pres. sing. 1st pers) am (2nd pers) are (3rd pers) is (present:pl) are (past:singular:1st_person) was (2nd pers) were (3rd pers) was (past:plural) were (pres. part) being (past part) been
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 ident-ty (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 sp-ce or time (bill is at the office; the dance is on sat-rday)
(takes a present participle) forms the progressive present tense: the man is running
(takes a past participle) forms the p-ssive 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
abbreviation
belgium
chemical symbol
beryllium
abbreviation
bill of exchange
(in the us) board of education
bachelor of education
bachelor of engineering
abbreviation
baumé
n.
v.
sing. pl.
1st pres. ic eom
ic beo we sind(on)
we beoð
2nd pres. þu eart
þu bist ge sind(on)
ge beoð
3rd pres. he is
he bið hie sind(on)
hie beoð
1st pret. ic wæs we wæron
2nd pret. þu wære ge waeron
3rd pret. heo wæs hie wæron
1st pret. subj. ic wære we wæren
2nd pret. subj. þu wære ge wæren
3rd pret. subj. egcferð wære hie wæren

the “b-root” had no past tense in old english, but often served as future tense of am/was. in 13c. it took the place of the infinitive, participle and imperative forms of am/was. later its plural forms (we beth, ye ben, they be) became standard in middle english and it made inroads into the singular (i be, thou beest, he beth), but forms of are claimed this turf in the 1500s and replaced be in the plural. for the origin and evolution of the am/was branches of this tangle, see am and was.

that but this blow might be the be all, and the end all. [“macbeth” i.vii.5]

be
the symbol for beryllium.
belorusian
beryllium
excess burst
bachelor of education
bachelor of engineering
barium enema
board eligible
board of education
baumé scale
see:

for the moment (time being)
other things being equal

be a credit to
be along
be big on
be bound to
be busted
be down
be had
be in on
be into
be my guest
be off
be on
be on to
be oneself
be that as it may
be the death of
be the end of one
be the making of