bə̇ˈkəm, bē- verb
( be·came -kām ; become ; becoming ; becomes )
Etymology: Middle English becomen, from Old English becoman, becuman to come to, approach, happen, befit (akin to Old High German biqueman to come to, meet, Gothic biquiman to come to) from be- + coman, cuman to come — more at come
intransitive verb
1.
a. obsolete
(1) : come
(2) : go
where is Warwick then become — Shakespeare
b.
(1) : to come to exist or occur
(2) : to emerge as an entity : grow to manifest a certain essence, nature, development, or significance
we do not know our own identity since we are always in a state of becoming — J.D.Adams
what becomes has duration — A.N.Whitehead
c. archaic : to come to experience — used with an infinitive
2.
a. : to pass from a previous state or condition and come to be : grow or change into being through taking on a new character or characteristic
as the pain becomes more intense
that they might rest and become warm — T.B.Costain
b. : to take on a new role, essence, or nature and come to be
he became the nation's first president
his former foes becoming loyal allies
materials formerly wasted becoming profitable by-products
c. : to come to be — used as an auxiliary in passive constructions
she became influenced by these ideas
men becoming hurt in the battle
3.
a. : happen
it sometimes becomes that these accounts are misleading
b. : to ensue by way of fate, destiny, or disposition — usually used with of
he wondered what had become of his boyhood friends
investigating what became of the missing ship
transitive verb
1.
a. : to accord with : be suitable to : lack jarring contrast to or incongruity with
rough clothes becoming their lowly condition
brash confidence ill becoming his record of failures
b. : to suit with propriety : be quite proper for
dignity becoming a lord
the humility that becomes the amateur — B.N.Cardozo
2. : grace:
a. : to adorn or look well on while befitting or according with
a hat that becomes her
b. : to occupy, use, or wear with suitable bearing or pleasing grace
he becomes his high office