English words starting with be - page 1

Meanings of Be pressed for time:

idiom

To be in a hurry

Usage examples:

I'd love to stop and talk, but i'm pressed for time.

Meanings of Be snowed under:

idiom

To have so much work that you have problems dealing with it all

Usage examples:

I'm absolutely snowed under with work at the moment.

Meanings of Be taken aback:

adverb

To be very shocked or surprised

Usage examples:

I was somewhat taken aback by her honesty.

Meanings of Be up:

idiom

To be upset

Usage examples:

Philip was very cut up about his grandmother's death.

Meanings of Be up to:

idiom

To be of the usual or expected standard

Usage examples:

Her work hasn't been up to par lately.

Meanings of Be-a-disaster:

phrase

To be very unsuccessful or extremely bad

Usage examples:

The evening was a complete disaster., as an engineer, he was a disaster., our first gig was a total…

Meanings of Be-a-hit-with:

idiom

If you are a hit with someone, that person likes you a lot from the time that they first meet you

Usage examples:

You were a big hit with my dad - he hasn't stopped talking about you.

Meanings of Be-a-success:

idiom

To have problems because of your success

Usage examples:

The school has become a victim of its own success, as parents with children who have special needs …

Meanings of Be-about:

idiom

If you ask someone what they are on about, you are asking that person, often in a slightly annoyed way, what they mean

Usage examples:

I dunno what you're on about.

Meanings of Be-acquainted-with:

phrase

To know or be familiar with something, because you have studied it or have experienced it before

Usage examples:

Police said the thieves were obviously well acquainted with the alarm system at the department stor…

Meanings of Be-admitted-to:

phrase

To gain a qualification as a lawyer

Usage examples:

After being admitted to the bar in 1998, he represented other people who had got into trouble with …

Meanings of Be-affiliated-to:

verb

To become part of or form a close relationship with a group or organization

Usage examples:

[ t ] i’m not affiliated with any political party., [ i ] the two schools will affiliate next year.…

noun

An organization that is officially connected with or controlled by another, usually larger, organization

Usage examples:

The study estimates that the school and its affiliates generate employment of 52,459 workers., the …

Meanings of Be-afraid:

idiom

To be frightened of things in a way that is not reasonable or necessary

Usage examples:

They are weak leaders who seem afraid of their own shadows., for the rest of your life you will hav…

Meanings of Be-against:

phrasal verb

To be part of a group that opposes/supports a particular idea, plan, or group

Usage examples:

Most of the state democratic party are ranged against the president., she ranged herself with my op…

Meanings of Be-ahead:

idiom

To be much better or much more advanced than another thing or person

Usage examples:

Be streets ahead of the latest sales figures show that we're streets ahead of the competition.

Meanings of Be-alive:

idiom

To continue to live or exist and be full of energy

Usage examples:

She said she'd seen him last week and he was alive and kicking., despite rumours to the contrary, f…

Meanings of Be-all-and-end-all:

noun

The most important thing

Usage examples:

We all agreed that winning was not the be-all and end-all., it was the period when everyone saw men…

Meanings of Be-all-ears:

idiom

To be waiting eagerly to hear about something

Usage examples:

I'm all ears - tell us what they had to say.

Meanings of Be-all-over:

idiom

To be the typical behaviour of a particular person

Usage examples:

She's always talking - that's claire all over., she was all over him, kissing him and running her h…

Meanings of Be-all-right:

phrase

If something is all right/fine by someone, they agree that it can happen

Usage examples:

"i'd rather go later." "that's fine by me.", if it's all right by you, i'd like to leave now., if y…

Meanings of Be-all-smiles:

idiom

To look happy and friendly, especially when other people are not expecting you to

Usage examples:

She's never been very friendly, but she was all smiles when she asked me to help her with her homew…

Meanings of Be-an-actor:

idiom

To have the ability and interest to become an actor, cook, etc. in the future

Meanings of Be-apt:

phrase

To be likely to do something or to often do something

Usage examples:

The kitchen roof is apt to (= likely to) leak when it rains., she's in her eighties now and apt to …

Meanings of Be-apt-to:

phrase

To be likely to do something or to often do something

Usage examples:

The kitchen roof is apt to (= likely to) leak when it rains., she's in her eighties now and apt to …

Meanings of Be-associated:

phrasal verb

If problems or dangers are associated with a particular thing or action, they are caused by it

Usage examples:

The cancer risks associated with smoking have been well documented.