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v. be·came (-kām′), be·come, be·com·ing, be·comes
1. To be appropriate or suitable to: "It would not become me ... to interfere with parties" (Jonathan Swift).
2. To show to advantage; look good with: The new suit becomes you.
Phrasal Verb:
become of

[Middle English bicomen, from Old English becuman; see gwā- in Indo-European roots.]


vb (mainly intr) , -comes, -coming, -came or -come
1. (copula) to come to be; develop or grow into: he became a monster.
3. (tr) (of clothes, etc) to enhance the appearance of (someone); suit: that dress becomes you.
4. (tr) to be appropriate; befit: it ill becomes you to complain.
[Old English becuman to happen; related to Old High German biqueman to come to, Gothic biquiman to appear suddenly]



v. -came, -come, -com•ing. v.i.
1. to come, change, or grow to be (as specified): to become tired.
2. to come into being; develop or progress into: She became a ballerina.
3. to be attractive on; befit in appearance; suit: That dress becomes you.
4. to be suitable to the dignity, situation, or responsibility of: conduct that becomes an officer.
become of, to happen to; be the fate of.
[before 900; Middle English becumen, Old English becuman to come about, happen, c. Old Frisian bikuma, Old High German biqueman, Gothic biqiman. See be-, come]


1. 'become'

When something or someone becomes a particular thing, they start to be that thing. If you become a doctor, a teacher, or a writer, for example, you start to be a doctor, a teacher, or a writer.

Greta wants to become a teacher.

If someone or something becomes a certain way, they start to have that quality.

When did you first become interested in politics?

The past tense of 'become' is became.

We became good friends at once.
The smell became stronger and stronger.

The -ed participle is become.

Life has become a lot harder since James died.

When become is followed by a singular noun phrase, the noun phrase usually begins with a determiner.

I became an engineer.
The young man became his friend.

However, when the noun phrase refers to a unique job or position within an organization, the determiner can be omitted.

In 1960 he became Ambassador to Hungary.
He became CEO last July.

The following words can be used to mean 'become'. These words can be followed only by an adjective. Don't use a noun phrase after them.

2. 'get'

In conversation, get is often used to talk about how people or things change and start to have a different quality.

It was getting dark.
She began to get suspicious.
3. 'grow'

In written English, grow is often used to talk about how people or things change and start to have a different quality.

Some of her colleagues are growing impatient.
The sun grew so hot that they had to stop working.
4. 'come'

If a dream, wish, or prediction comes true, it actually happens.

My wish had come true.
5. 'go'

Go is used to talk about a sudden change in someone's body.

I went numb.
He went cold all over.

You say that someone goes blind or deaf.

She went blind twenty years ago.

Go is always used in the phrases go wrong and go mad.

Something has gone wrong with our car.
Tom went mad and started shouting at me.
6. 'go' and 'turn'

If you want to say that someone or something becomes a different colour, you use go or turn.

Her hair was going grey.
The grass had turned brown.
When she heard the news, she went pale.
He turned bright red with embarrassment.

In American English, you usually use turn, not 'go'.

Be Careful!
Don't use 'get' or 'become' when you are talking about someone's face changing colour. Don't say, for example, that someone 'gets pale' or 'becomes pale'.


Past participle: become
Gerund: becoming

I become
you become
he/she/it becomes
we become
you become
they become
I became
you became
he/she/it became
we became
you became
they became
Present Continuous
I am becoming
you are becoming
he/she/it is becoming
we are becoming
you are becoming
they are becoming
Present Perfect
I have become
you have become
he/she/it has become
we have become
you have become
they have become
Past Continuous
I was becoming
you were becoming
he/she/it was becoming
we were becoming
you were becoming
they were becoming
Past Perfect
I had become
you had become
he/she/it had become
we had become
you had become
they had become
I will become
you will become
he/she/it will become
we will become
you will become
they will become
Future Perfect
I will have become
you will have become
he/she/it will have become
we will have become
you will have become
they will have become
Future Continuous
I will be becoming
you will be becoming
he/she/it will be becoming
we will be becoming
you will be becoming
they will be becoming
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been becoming
you have been becoming
he/she/it has been becoming
we have been becoming
you have been becoming
they have been becoming
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been becoming
you will have been becoming
he/she/it will have been becoming
we will have been becoming
you will have been becoming
they will have been becoming
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been becoming
you had been becoming
he/she/it had been becoming
we had been becoming
you had been becoming
they had been becoming
I would become
you would become
he/she/it would become
we would become
you would become
they would become
Past Conditional
I would have become
you would have become
he/she/it would have become
we would have become
you would have become
they would have become
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Verb1.become - enter or assume a certain state or conditionbecome - enter or assume a certain state or condition; "He became annoyed when he heard the bad news"; "It must be getting more serious"; "her face went red with anger"; "She went into ecstasy"; "Get going!"
sober up, sober - become sober after excessive alcohol consumption; "Keep him in bed until he sobers up"
sober, sober up - become more realistic; "After thinking about the potential consequences of his plan, he sobered up"
work - arrive at a certain condition through repeated motion; "The stitches of the hem worked loose after she wore the skirt many times"
take effect - go into effect or become effective or operative; "The new law will take effect next month"
break - come into being; "light broke over the horizon"; "Voices broke in the air"
settle - become resolved, fixed, established, or quiet; "The roar settled to a thunder"; "The wind settled in the West"; "it is settling to rain"; "A cough settled in her chest"; "Her mood settled into lethargy"
2.become - undergo a change or developmentbecome - undergo a change or development; "The water turned into ice"; "Her former friend became her worst enemy"; "He turned traitor"
boil down, come down, reduce - be the essential element; "The proposal boils down to a compromise"
transmute, metamorphose, transform - change in outward structure or looks; "He transformed into a monster"; "The salesman metamorphosed into an ugly beetle"
suffocate, choke - become stultified, suppressed, or stifled; "He is suffocating--living at home with his aged parents in the small village"
nucleate - form into a nucleus; "Some cells had nucleated"
turn - cause to change or turn into something different;assume new characteristics; "The princess turned the frog into a prince by kissing him"; "The alchemists tried to turn lead into gold"
add up, amount, come - develop into; "This idea will never amount to anything"; "nothing came of his grandiose plans"
3.become - come into existence; "What becomes has duration"
occur, come - come to one's mind; suggest itself; "It occurred to me that we should hire another secretary"; "A great idea then came to her"
root - come into existence, originate; "The problem roots in her depression"
take form, take shape, spring, form - develop into a distinctive entity; "our plans began to take shape"
arise, originate, spring up, uprise, develop, grow, rise - come into existence; take on form or shape; "A new religious movement originated in that country"; "a love that sprang up from friendship"; "the idea for the book grew out of a short story"; "An interesting phenomenon uprose"
bob up, arise, come up - originate or come into being; "a question arose"
make - be or be capable of being changed or made into; "He makes a great host"; "He will make a fine father"
4.become - enhance the appearance of; "Mourning becomes Electra"; "This behavior doesn't suit you!"
beautify, fancify, prettify, embellish - make more beautiful


1. come to be, develop into, be transformed into, grow into, change into, evolve into, alter to, mature into, metamorphose into, ripen into After leaving school, he became a professional footballer.
2. suit, look good on, fit, enhance, flatter, ornament, embellish, grace, harmonize with, look right on, set off Does khaki become you?
become of something or someone happen to, befall, be the fate of, betide What will become of him?


1. To come to be:
come, get, grow, turn (out), wax.
2. To be appropriate or suitable to:
Archaic: beseem.
3. To be in keeping with:
4. To look good on or with:
Idiom: put in the best light.
يُصْبِحُيُصْبِحُ، يَتَّخِذُ وَظيفَةًيُناسِب، يُلائِميَحْدُثُ لَهُ، يَحِلُّ بِه
stát sestávat seslušet
bliveblive afklædepasse
pukeatulla joksikin
lesz: vmi lesz belõle
fara velverîa
...이 되다되다
trở nên


[bɪˈkʌm] (became (pt) (become (pp)))
1. (= grow to be) to become famoushacerse famoso
to become sadponerse triste
to become illponerse enfermo, enfermar
to become oldhacerse or volverse viejo
to become angryenfadarse
to become redponerse rojo, enrojecerse
we became very worriedempezamos a inquietarnos muchísimo
he became blind(se) quedó ciego
this is becoming difficultesto se está poniendo difícil
to become accustomed to sthacostumbrarse a algo
it became known thatse supo que ..., llegó a saberse que ...
when he becomes 21cuando cumpla los 21 años
2. (= turn into) → convertirse en, transformarse en
the building has become a cinemael edificio se ha convertido or transformado en cine
the gas becomes liquidel gas se convierte en líquido
3. (= acquire position of) (through study) → hacerse; (by promotion etc) → llegar a ser
to become a doctorhacerse médico
to become professorllegar a ser catedrático
he became king in 1911subió al trono en 1911
later this lady became his wifeesta dama llegó a ser su esposa más tarde
to become a fatherconvertirse en padre
B. IMPERS VB what has become of him?¿qué ha sido de él?
what will become of me?¿qué será de mí?
whatever can have become of that book?¿dónde estará ese libro?
C. VT (= look nice on) → favorecer, sentar bien
that thought does not become youese pensamiento es indigno de ti
The translation of become/go/get/turn depends on the context and the type of change involved and how it is regarded. Very often there is more than one possible translation, or even a special verb to translate get + ((ADJECTIVE)) (e.g. get angry - enfadarse), but here are some general hints.
Become + adjective
 Use ponerse to talk about temporary but normal changes:
I got quite ill Me puse muy malo He went pale Se puso blanco You've got very brown Te has puesto muy moreno He got very angry Se puso furioso
 Use volverse to refer to sudden, longer-lasting and unpredictable changes, particularly those affecting the mind:
He has become very impatient in the last few years Se ha vuelto muy impaciente estos últimos años She went mad Se volvió loca
 Use quedar(se) especially when talking about changes that are permanent, involve deterioration and are due to external circumstances. Their onset may or may not be sudden:
He went blind (Se) quedó ciego Goya went deaf Goya (se) quedó sordo
NOTE Quedarse is also used to talk about pregnancy:
She became pregnant (Se) quedó embarazada
 Use hacerse for states resulting from effort or from a gradual, cumulative process:
They became very famous Se hicieron muy famosos The pain became unbearable El dolor se hizo insoportable
 Use llegar a ser to suggest reaching a peak:
The heat became stifling El calor llegó a ser agobiante
Become + noun
 Use hacerse for career goals and religious or political persuasions:
He became a lawyer Se hizo abogado I became a Catholic in 1990 Me hice católico en 1990 He became a member of the Green Party Se hizo miembro del Partido Verde
 Use llegar a + ((NOUN)) and llegar a ser + ((PHRASE)) for reaching a peak after a period of gradual change. This construction is often used to talk about professional accomplishments:
If you don't make more effort, you'll never get to be a teacher Si no te esfuerzas más, no llegarás a profesor Castelar became one of the most important politicians of his time Castelar llegó a ser uno de los políticos más importantes de su época Football became an obsession for him El fútbol llegó a ser una obsesión para él
 Use convertirse en for long-lasting changes in character, substance and kind which take place gradually:
Those youngsters went on to become delinquents Aquellos jóvenes se convirtieron después en delincuentes Over the years I have become a more tolerant person Con los años me he convertido en una persona más tolerante Water turns into steam El agua se convierte en vapor
 Use quedar(se) + ((ADJECTIVE)) to talk about changes, particularly when they are permanent, for the worse and due to external circumstances. Their onset may or may not be sudden:
She became a widow (Se) quedó viuda
 To translate have turned into or have become + ((NOUN)) in emphatic phrases particularly about people, you can use estar hecho un(a) + ((NOUN)):
Juan has become a really good pianist Juan está hecho todo un pianista


[bɪˈkʌm] [became] [bɪˈkeɪm] (pt) [become] [bɪˈkʌm] (pp)
copulative vb
(= grow to be) → devenir
He became a famous writer → Il est devenu un grand écrivain.
to become part of [+ country, group] → intégrer
vi (= get) to become fat → grossir
to become thin → maigrir
to become angry → se mettre en colère
to become stronger → s'intensifier
to become interested → commencer à s'intéresser
it became known that → on apprit que
impers vb
what has become of (= happened to)
What has become of him? → Qu'est-il devenu?
What has become of them? → Qu'est-il advenu d'eux?, Que sont-ils devenus?
what will become of
What will become of me? → Que vais-je devenir?


pret <became>, ptp <become>
(= grow to be)werden; it has become a rulees ist jetzt Vorschrift; it has become a habites ist zur Gewohnheit geworden; it has become a custom/nuisancees ist üblich/lästig geworden; he’s becoming a problemer wird zum Problem; to become interested in somebody/somethinganfangen, sich für jdn/etw zu interessieren
(= acquire position of)werden; to become king/a doctorKönig/Arzt werden
what has become of him?was ist aus ihm geworden?; what’s to become of him?was soll aus ihm werden?; I don’t know what will become of himich weiß nicht, was aus ihm noch werden soll
(= suit)stehen (+dat)
(= befit)sich schicken für, sich ziemen für (geh)


[bɪˈkʌm] (became (vb: pt) (become (pp)))
1. vidiventare, divenire
to become famous → diventare famoso/a
to become fat/thin → ingrassare/dimagrire
to become angry → arrabbiarsi
to become accustomed to sth → abituarsi a qc
to become a doctor → diventare medico
it became known that → si è venuto a sapere che
2. impers vb what has become of him?che ne è stato di lui?
whatever can have become of that book? → dove sarà mai finito quel libro?
3. vt it does not become her (dress) → non le sta bene; (behaviour) → non le si addice


(biˈkam) past tense became (biˈkeim) : past participle beˈcome verb
1. to come or grow to be. Her coat has become badly torn; She has become even more beautiful.
2. to qualify or take a job as. She became a doctor.
3. (with of) to happen to. What became of her son?
4. to suit. That dress really becomes her.
beˈcoming adjective
attractive. a very becoming dress.
beˈcomingly adverb


يُصْبِحُ stát se blive werden γίνομαι volverse tulla joksikin devenir postati diventare ･･･になる ...이 되다 worden bli stać się tornar-se становиться bli กลายเป็น olmak trở nên 成为


vi. hacerse, convertirse;
___ aconvertirse en;
___ accustomedacostumbrarse;
___ a doctorhacerse médico-a; [conversion];
___ crazyvolverse loco-a;
___ frightenedasustarse;
___ illponerse enfermo-a; enfermarse;
___ inflamedinflamarse;
___ swollenhincharse.


vi ponerse, volverse, (permanently) quedarse; (inflamed, sick, etc.) inflamarse, enfermarse, etc.; If it becomes swollen..Si se pone hinchado… She became blind..Se quedó ciega…It became inflamed..Se puso inflamado.. Se inflamó.
References in classic literature ?
become of : to happen to <What has become of my friend?>