be - thesaurus entry

phrases

• been there, done that

  spoken
  used to say that you have done something and are no longer interested in it

  *Synonyms or related words for this sense of be*

  Not feeling excited or enthusiastic: bored, restless, apathetic, unenthusiastic, world-weary, blasé, uninspired, fed up, indifferent, listless... more

• being...

  used for giving an explanation of something

  *Synonyms or related words for this sense of be*

  Ways of explaining or clarifying: as, because, besides, explain, i.e., inasmuch as, look at, nay, precisely, since... more

• being as

  informal
  a way of saying ‘because’ that many people do not consider to be correct

  *Synonyms or related words for this sense of be*

  Because and because of: because, due to, whereas, owing to, given, in view of something, on account of, for, in (the) light of something, by virtue of something... more

• be that as it may

  mainly spoken
  used for saying that even if something is true, it does not affect your opinion

  *Synonyms or related words for this sense of be*

  Not relevant or appropriate: irrelevant, inappropriate, unimportant, marginal, immaterial, unrelated, extraneous, academic, beside the point, neither here nor there... more

• be to do something

  formal
  1. 1

     used for telling someone what to do

     *Synonyms or related words for this sense of be*

     Ways of encouraging or telling someone to do something: I wish, go for it, don’t hesitate to do something, come on, (do you) understand?, go on, be to do something, someone would be well/better advised to do something, get away from, shoot... more
  2. 2

     used for saying what has been arranged

     *Synonyms or related words for this sense of be*

     Ways of encouraging or telling someone to do something: I wish, go for it, don’t hesitate to do something, come on, (do you) understand?, go on, be to do something, someone would be well/better advised to do something, get away from, shoot... more
  3. 3

     used for saying or asking what should be done

     *Synonyms or related words for this sense of be*

     Ways of encouraging or telling someone to do something: I wish, go for it, don’t hesitate to do something, come on, (do you) understand?, go on, be to do something, someone would be well/better advised to do something, get away from, shoot... more
  4. 4

     used in an ‘if’ clause for suggesting a possible aim when you are saying what must happen in order to achieve it

     *Synonyms or related words for this sense of be*

     Ways of encouraging or telling someone to do something: I wish, go for it, don’t hesitate to do something, come on, (do you) understand?, go on, be to do something, someone would be well/better advised to do something, get away from, shoot... more
  5. 5

     used about someone or something in the past to say what would happen at a later time

     *Synonyms or related words for this sense of be*

     Ways of encouraging or telling someone to do something: I wish, go for it, don’t hesitate to do something, come on, (do you) understand?, go on, be to do something, someone would be well/better advised to do something, get away from, shoot... more

• have been to...

  used for saying that someone has gone to a place and returned

  *Synonyms or related words for this sense of be*

  To visit a person or place, or to be visited by someone: visit, go around, call, drop by, call on, see, look in, come over, pay someone/something a visit/call, put in/make an appearance... more

• there is/are etc

  1. 1

     used for saying that someone or something is in a particular place

     *Synonyms or related words for this sense of be*

     To be in a particular position or place: occupy, set, exist, lie, sit, stand, there is/are etc, concentrate, belong, get... more
  2. 2

     used for saying that someone or something exists or that something happens

     *Synonyms or related words for this sense of be*

     To exist: exist, operate, live, coexist, co-occur, obtain, subsist, be, kick around... more

• were someone/something to do something

  formal
  used in a conditional clause for describing a situation that is not real or that is very unlikely to happen

  *Synonyms or related words for this sense of be*

  Not likely to happen: unlikely, doubtful, remote, improbable, inconceivable, dim, I don’t suppose, you’ll be lucky, there is no question of something, long odds... more