[be] vb, past 1st & 3d sing was 2d sing were pl were past subjunctive were past part been pres part be.ing pres 1st sing am 2d sing are 3d sing is pl are pres subjunctive be [ME, fr. OE beon; akin to OHG bim am, L fui I have been, futurus about to be, fieri to become, be done, Gk phynai to be born, be by nature, phyein to produce] vi (bef. 12c) 1 a: to equal in meaning: have the same connotation as: symbolize "God is love" "January is the first month" "let x ~ 10" b: to have identity with "the first person I met was my brother" c: to constitute the same class as d: to have a specified qualification or characterization "the leaves are green" e: to belong to the class of "the fish is a trout"--used regularly in senses 1a through 1e as the copula of simple predication
2. a: to have an objective existence: have reality or actuality: live "I think, therefore I am" "once upon a time there was a knight" b: to have, maintain, or occupy a place, situation, or position "the book is on the table" c: to remain unmolested, undisturbed, or uninterrupted--used only in infinitive form "let him ~" d: to take place: occur "the concert was last night" e: to come or go "has already been and gone" "has never been to the circus" f archaic: belong, befall ~ verbal auxiliary 1--used with the past participle of transitive verbs as a passive-voice auxiliary "the money was found" "the house is being built" 2--used as the auxiliary of the present participle in progressive tenses expressing continuous action "he is reading" "I have been sleeping" 3--used with the past participle of some intransitive verbs as an auxiliary forming archaic perfect tenses "Christ is risen from the dead --1 Cor 15:20 (DV)" 4--used with the infinitive with to to express futurity, arrangement in advance, or obligation "I am to interview him today" "she was to become famous"