Standard Lemma guide

been

noun · verb · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /biːn/
  • /ˈbɪn/
  • [ˈbɪn] common in most areas, overall predominant
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • homophone: bin
  • rhymes with -ɪn
  • /ˈbiːn/
  • [ˈbɪi̯n] common byform in Received Pronunciation, otherwise rare, especially in the US
  • UK: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • homophone: bean
  • rhymes with -iːn
  • /ˈbɛn/
  • [ˈbɛn] byform in General American, particularly common in the Great Lakes, Midwest
  • homophone: Ben
  • rhymes with -ɛn
  • CMU ARPABET: B IH1 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: B AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 3: B IH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

plural of bee

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: UK, dialectal, form-of, plural

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

past participle of be.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: form-of, participle, past

Examples

  • All the fries have been eaten.
  • We're safe, but the car's been totaled.
  • Postman been?
  • They been here since yesterday. (dialectal, e.g. AAVE, omitting have)

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

remote past form of be.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Qualifier: Southern US or African-American Vernacular

Examples

  • He been had that job.
  • We been knew they was doing this.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

Synonym of be (infinitival sense).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: rare

Qualifier: Southern US or African-American Vernacular

Examples

  • It useta been five foot long.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: be

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

plural simple present of be.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: form-of, obsolete, plural, present

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Middle English been, bene, ben, beon, from Old English bēon (“bees”), equivalent to bee + -en (plural ending).

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱe? Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm Proto-Germanic *ga- Proto-West Germanic *ga- Old English ġe- Proto-Indo-European *bhuH- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *bhuHyétider.? Proto-Germanic *beuną Proto-West Germanic *beun Old English bēon Old English ġebēon Middle English been English been From Middle English been (past participle), from Old English (ġe)bēon. By surface analysis, be + -en.

Either from Middle English been (“to be”, infinitive) (from Old English bēon, equivalent to be + -en (infinitive ending)), or from a dialectal use of the preceding past tense form as an infinitive form (compare dialectal use of (I)'s, (I) is in the first person, (he) am in the third person, etc).

From Middle English been (plural indicative form); equivalent to be + -en (plural present ending).