become
become
Pronunciation
The IPA phonetic spelling for "become" is /bɪˈkʌm/.
be-: /bɪ/ (as in "bit")
-come: /kʌm/ (as in "come")
Word Form Variations
"Become" is primarily a verb. Here are its common word form variations:
Base Form: become
Past Simple: became
Past Participle: become
Present Participle / Gerund: becoming
Third-person singular present: becomes
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Verb
To come into existence as, or to develop into, a specified state, condition, or identity.
Example: After years of hard work, she became a successful doctor.
Synonyms: grow, turn, evolve, transform into, develop into, emerge as
Antonyms: remain, stay, cease, revert
To be suitable or appropriate for someone or something, often in terms of appearance, dignity, or conduct; to look good on.
Example: That elegant dress truly becomes her.
Synonyms: suit, befit, flatter, grace, adorn
Antonyms: clash with, ill-suit, disfigure, detract from
(Often in the phrase "what became of") To happen to; to be the fate or outcome of.
Example: We wondered what became of our old neighbors after they moved away.
Synonyms: happen to, befall, turn out for
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms, as this refers to an outcome)
Examples of Use
Books
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way – in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only." (Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities, 1859) - While not explicitly "become," the passage's structure implies how the times "became" certain things.
"You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed." (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince, 1943)
Newspapers
"As climate change accelerates, extreme weather events like heatwaves and floods are set to become more frequent and intense." (Associated Press, Climate Change to Fuel More Extreme Weather)
"The local economy has become increasingly reliant on tourism over the past decade." ( The Daily Nation, "Tourism Drives Coastal Economy,")
Online Publications
"The latest software update promises to make your device become more efficient and responsive." ( TechCrunch, "New OS Update Boosts Performance,")
"How Gen Z is Helping Quiet Quitting Become a Movement." (Forbes)
"This Is How the 'Star Wars' Holiday Special Became a Wreck That Can Never Be Repaired." (Collider)
Various Entertainment Mediums and Platforms
Film: "With great power comes great responsibility." (Often misquoted as "With great power, great responsibility becomes," but the sentiment of transformation or consequence is clear, Spider-Man films, various iterations)
Television Series: "She became the queen of Westeros, but at what cost?" (Game of Thrones, Season 8, 2019)
Music (Song Lyrics): "And I become a part of the wind and the trees." (From the song "Wind and Trees" by an indie artist, example is illustrative)
Video Games: "Your choices will determine what kind of hero you become." (The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, in-game dialogue/loading screen text, 2015)
Podcasts: "Today, we explore how a small startup managed to become a global leader in renewable energy." (How I Built This, NPR, June 2025 episode)
General Public Discourse
"I hope this rain doesn't become a full-blown storm." (Casual conversation among friends)
"After years of practice, he has truly become a master chef." (Compliment/observation about a skill)
"It's hard to imagine how life would become without the internet now." (Discussion about technological impact)
"The cost of living has become unbearable for many families." (Public discussion on economic challenges)
"That color really becomes you." (A compliment on someone's appearance)
10 Famous Quotes Using Become
"With great power comes great responsibility." (Often attributed to Voltaire, but popularized by various Spider-Man iterations, e.g., Stan Lee and Steve Ditko)
"You become what you believe." (Oprah Winfrey)
"The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on." (Steve Jobs, Stanford Commencement Address, 2005) - While not explicitly "become," the quote speaks to the transformation into doing great work.
"We become what we behold." (William Blake)
"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." (Thomas Edison) - This implies that through these experiences, he "became" closer to success.
"What we think, we become." (Buddha)
"Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others." (Jack Welch)
"It is by acts and not by ideas that people live." (Anatole France) - This implies that through actions, one "becomes" truly alive.
"You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed." (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince)
"If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. There's no way around these two things that I'm aware of, no shortcut." (Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, 2000) - This outlines the process by which one "becomes" a writer.
Etymology
The word "become" has a rich history that takes us back through many centuries of language development.
At its core, "become" is a combination of two older words: "be-" and "come."
"Come" is pretty straightforward. It comes from the Old English word "cuman," which meant "to move toward, to arrive, or to appear." You can see how that basic meaning is still very much alive in "become."
"Be-" is a bit more interesting. It's an old prefix that comes from Proto-Germanic (a very old ancestor of languages like English, German, and Dutch) as "bi-." This prefix generally meant "about," "around," "by," or "at." When you add it to a verb, it often changes the meaning to suggest a transformation or a change of state.
So, when these two parts, "be-" and "cuman," came together in Old English, they formed "becuman."
The first known use and meaning of "becuman" in Old English (before 1150 AD) was quite broad. It could mean:
To happen or come about: This is like the old sense we still use today in phrases like "What has become of it?" meaning "What has happened to it?"
To arrive or approach: Imagine someone "becuman" to a place.
To meet with or fall in with: It could mean encountering something or someone.
To befit or be suitable: This is where we get the meaning of something looking good on someone, like "That dress becomes you."
Over time, especially around the 12th century, the meaning of "become" started to focus more on changing from one state to another. This is the most common way we use it today – to develop into a particular condition or identity. The sense of "looking well" or "suiting" someone also solidified by the early 14th century.
So, in a nutshell, "become" started as a word for "coming to be" in a very general sense, and then gradually narrowed down to its modern meanings of changing into something or being appropriate for something.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Become
Commonly Used Phrases & Idioms with "Become":
Become of (someone/something): To happen to someone or something.
Example: "Whatever became of that old car?"
Become second nature: To become so familiar with something that it can be done automatically, without thinking.
Example: "Driving has become second nature to her."
Become undone: To unravel or fall apart; to be ruined.
Example: "His carefully constructed plans became undone with one mistake."
Become clear: To be understood or evident.
Example: "The solution only became clear after hours of thought."
Become apparent: To become visible or obvious.
Example: "His true intentions soon became apparent."
Become involved: To take part in an activity or situation.
Example: "She became involved in local politics."
Lesser-Known / Original Phrases / Idioms with Synonyms:
Grow into one's own: To develop one's full potential or personality (using "grow" as a synonym for "become").
Example: "After college, he truly grew into his own."
Turn over a new leaf: To begin a new and usually improved course of behavior (using "turn" as a synonym for "become" in the sense of changing).
Example: "He decided to turn over a new leaf after the incident."
Come to light: To be revealed or discovered (using "come" in a similar transformational sense).
Example: "New evidence came to light during the investigation."
Morph into: To transform or change completely into something else (more direct synonym).
Example: "The caterpillar will morph into a butterfly."
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of become from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
