BECOME


Meaning of BECOME in English

be ‧ come S1 W1 /bɪˈkʌm/ BrE AmE verb ( past tense became /-ˈkeɪm/, past participle become )

[ Language: Old English ; Origin: becuman 'to come to, become' , from cuman 'to come' ]

1 . [linking verb] to start to have a feeling or quality, or to start to develop into something:

The weather became warmer.

Slowly my eyes became accustomed to the darkness.

Helen became increasingly anxious about her husband’s strange behaviour.

Pollution from cars has become a major problem.

2 . [linking verb] to start to have a job or position:

George became king at the age of 54.

When did you first want to become a teacher?

3 . [transitive not in progressive] formal to be suitable for someone, or to look attractive on them SYN suit :

Blue really becomes her.

Don’t try to be clever – it doesn’t become you.

4 . what became of ...?/whatever will become of ...? used to ask what has happened to someone or something, especially when you have not seen them for a long time, or what will happen to someone that you are worried about:

What became of those Chinese vases that Mum used to have?

Whatever will become of Sam when his wife dies?

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THESAURUS

▪ become to start to have a feeling or quality, or to start to develop into something:

His parents became worried when he was late home from school.

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Violent crime is becoming a major problem.

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She became more confident when she joined a drama group.

▪ get to start to have a feeling or quality. Get is less formal than become and is much more commonly used in everyday English:

I was getting very tired.

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Make sure you’re home before it gets dark.

▪ go to become something – used about things becoming a different colour, or things or people becoming worse in some way:

Her hair was going grey.

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He went blind.

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I think I’m going mad.

▪ turn to become something – used about things becoming a different colour, or the weather or people’s behaviour changing:

The water had turned bright green.

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The weather is expected to turn cold again.

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He suddenly turned nasty.

▪ grow especially written to gradually become something:

People were growing impatient.

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The rich grew richer.

▪ come undone/loose/apart to become undone, loose, or separated into pieces:

The screws had come loose.

▪ change into something to become something completely different:

The caterpillar changed into a beautiful butterfly.

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.      Longman - Словарь современного английского языка.