being Hear it!

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being definition

be·ing (bē′iŋ)

noun

  1. the state or fact of existing or living; existence or life
  2. fundamental or essential nature
  3. one who lives or exists, or is assumed to do so a human being, a divine being
  4. all the physical and mental qualities that make up a person; personality
  5. Philos.
    1. fulfillment of possibilities; essential completeness
    2. that which exists, can exist, or can be logically conceived

Etymology: see be

being Idioms

being as

or being that
Informal, Dialectal since; because

for the time being

for the present; for now

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

idioms being idiom

being Synonyms

being

n.

  1. Existence

    presence, actuality, animation; see life 1, reality 1.

  2. The essential part

    nature, quintessence, marrow; see essence 1.

  3. A living thing

    creature, conscious agent, individual, human; see animal 1, 2, person 1.

for the time being

temporarily, tentatively, for now, for the present; see briefly 2, now 1, temporarily.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

being Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • enjoy: I really enjoyed being a stunt man for a night.

Preposition: at

  • forefront: CAT is a valuable acquisition, being at the forefront of drug development through the study of gene sequences.

Converse of subject

  • inhabit: Each of these worlds are inhabited by spiritual beings.

Adjective modifier

  • human: Without memory, we cease to be human beings... I create, I resist death.

Modifies a noun

  • overweight: However, being overweight doesn't help the condition as it places stress on painful joints, particularly hips, knees and feet.

Noun used with modifier

  • living: It is also a matter of how all living beings not just human beings live side by side.

Preposition: on

  • planet: This is the same for your partner and probably almost every other human being on this planet.

Preposition: in

  • awe: There is a desire for innovation and the the latest technology without becoming seduced by or being in awe of them.
being usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

being quotes

Kate's spirits sank to the very bottom of her being and began to prowl around there making a low growling noise.

-Adams, Douglas Noe«  l

O marciano encontrou-me na rua e teve miedo de minha impossibilidade humana. Como pode existir, penseu consigo, um ser que no existir po‹  e sem tamanha anula c° a‹  o de existe"  ncia? The Martian met me in the streets and was frightened by my human impossibility. He wondered how such a being could exist who could not exist without unmaking so much existence. 16

-Andrade, Carlos Drummond de

Quand me"  me Dieu n'existerait pas, la religion serait encore sainte et divineöDieu est le seul e"  tre qui, pour re¤  gner, n'ait me"  me pas besoin d'exister. Even if God did not exist, religion would still be holyand divine.God isthe only being who, inorder toreign, need not even exist.

-Baudelaire, Charles

being quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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"being." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/being>

APA Style

being. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/being

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