What does “become” mean?
- 1
verbto begin to be something
She wants to become a doctor.
- 2
verbto change and start to have a certain quality
It became cold after sunset.
Become at a glance
- Part of speech
- verb
- CEFR level
- A2 (elementary)
- Pronunciation
- /bɪˈkʌm/ · bih-KUM
- Forms
- became, become
How to use “become” correctly
The past participle is the same as the base: “She has become famous.” Don’t use “become” + to-infinitive: say “become a teacher”, not “become to be a teacher”.
Synonyms, opposites and related words
“become” is on these word lists
Learn these words next
- act verbA2to do something, especially to deal with a situation
- allow verbA2to give someone permission to do something
- carry verbA2to hold something and take it with you from one place to another
- catch verbA2to take hold of something that is moving through the air
- continue verbA2to keep doing something or keep happening without stopping
- cover verbA2to put something over something else to protect or hide it
- create verbA2to make something new exist
- develop verbA2to grow or change into something bigger, stronger or more advanced