become

become
be|come
W1S1 [bıˈkʌm] v past tense became [-ˈkeım] past participle become
[: Old English; Origin: becuman 'to come to, become', from cuman 'to come']
1.) [linking verb]
to begin to be something, or to develop in a particular way
▪ George became King at the age of 54.
▪ Pollution from cars has become a major problem.
▪ The weather became warmer.
▪ Slowly my eyes became accustomed to the darkness.
▪ Helen became increasingly anxious about her husband's strange behaviour.
▪ It soon became clear that Wilson lacked the ability to carry out his duties.
2.) [T not in progressive] formal
to be suitable for someone or to look attractive on them
= ↑suit
▪ Blue really becomes her.
▪ Don't try to be clever - it doesn't become you.
3.) 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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WORD CHOICE: become, get, go, turn, grow, come
become can be followed by an adjective or noun, not a verb : Her husband became jealous. | We soon became friends.
The following words are used with an adjective instead of become, in certain cases:
get is very often used instead of become , and is more usual in spoken English : I was getting hungry. | Things got worse and worse.
go is used
to say that something changes colour : The sky went pink.
to say that someone feels a change in their body : My fingers have gone numb.
with blind and deaf : He went blind.
with mad , insane , crazy etc : The crowd went wild.
turn is used especially to say that something changes colour : The liquid turned green. |His face turned pale.
grow can be used in fairly literary written English
to say that something changes gradually : It grew dark as we walked.
with a to-infinitive, to say that someone gradually starts doing something : We grew to love each other.
come is used
with adjectives like apart , undone , and unstuck : Your shoelace has come undone. | A few pages came loose.
with true : Her prediction came true.
with a to-infinitive to say that someone starts doing something : I eventually came to realize (NOT became to realize) I was wrong.
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Dictionary of contemporary English. 2013.

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Synonyms:
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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Become — Be*come , v. i. [imp. {Became}; p. p. {Become}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Becoming}.] [OE. bicumen, becumen, AS. becuman to come to, to happen; akin to D. bekomen, OHG.a piqu[ e]man, Goth. biquiman to come upon, G. bekommen to get, suit. See {Be }, and… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Become — Be*come , v. i. [imp. {Became}; p. p. {Become}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Becoming}.] [OE. bicumen, becumen, AS. becuman to come to, to happen; akin to D. bekomen, OHG.a piqu[ e]man, Goth. biquiman to come upon, G. bekommen to get, suit. See {Be }, and… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • become — [bē kum′, bikum′] vi. became, become, becoming [ME bicumen < OE becuman: see BE & COME] 1. to come to be [to become ill] 2. to grow to be; change or develop into by growth [the tadpole becomes a frog] vt …   English World dictionary

  • Become — Be*come , v. t. To suit or be suitable to; to be congruous with; to befit; to accord with, in character or circumstances; to be worthy of, or proper for; to cause to appear well; said of persons and things. [1913 Webster] It becomes me so to… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • become — ► VERB (past became; past part. become) 1) begin to be. 2) turn into. 3) (become of) happen to. 4) (of clothing) look good when worn by (someone). 5) be appropriate to …   English terms dictionary

  • become — (v.) O.E. becuman happen, come about, also meet with, arrive, from P.Gmc. *bikweman become (Cf. Du. bekomen, O.H.G. biqueman obtain, Ger. bekommen, Goth. biquiman). A compound of BE (Cf. be ) and COME (Cf …   Etymology dictionary

  • become — [v1] evolve into alter to, assume form of, be converted to, be reduced to, be reformed, be remodeled, be transformed into, change into, come, come to be, convert, develop into, emerge as, eventually be, grow into, incline, mature, metamorphose,… …   New thesaurus

  • become — I (arise) verb befall, come about, come into being, come into existence, commence, ensue, germinate, happen, materialize, occur, proceed, result, succeed II (develop) verb adorn, alter, arise, befit, behoove, benefit, beseem, change into, come to …   Law dictionary

  • become — verb /bI kVm/ past tense became /bi keIm/ past participle become 1 (linking verb) to begin to be something, or to develop in a particular way: He became King at the age of 17. | After the death of her father she became the richest woman in the… …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • become */*/*/ — UK [bɪˈkʌm] / US verb Word forms become : present tense I/you/we/they become he/she/it becomes present participle becoming past tense became UK [bɪˈkeɪm] / US past participle become Summary: Become can be used in the following ways: as a linking… …   English dictionary

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