Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Language: Old English
Origin: becuman 'to come to, become', from cuman 'to come'


be‧come S1 W1 past tense became past participle become
1 [linking verb] to begin to be something, or to develop in a particular way:
George became King at the age of 54.
Pollution from cars has become a major problem.
The weather became warmer.
Slowly my eyes became accustomed to the darkness.
Helen became increasingly anxious about her husband's strange behaviour.
2 [transitive not in progressive] formal to be suitable for someone or to look attractive on them [= suit]:
Blue really becomes her.
Don't try to be clever - it doesn't become you.

what became of ...?/whatever will become of ...?

used to ask what has happened to someone or something, especially when you have not seen them for a long time, or what will happen to someone that you are worried about:
What became of those Chinese vases that Mum used to have?
Whatever will become of Sam when his wife dies?

become, get, go, turn, grow, come
become can be followed by an adjective or noun, not a verb Her husband became jealous. We soon became friends.The following words are used with an adjective instead of become, in certain cases:get is very often used instead of become, and is more usual in spoken English I was getting hungry. Things got worse and worse.go is used to say that something changes colour The sky went pink. to say that someone feels a change in their body My fingers have gone numb. with blind and deaf He went blind. with mad, insane, crazy etc The crowd went wild.turn is used especially to say that something changes colour The liquid turned green. His face turned pale.grow can be used in fairly literary written English to say that something changes gradually It grew dark as we walked. with a to-infinitive, to say that someone gradually starts doing something We grew to love each other.come is used with adjectives like apart, undone, and unstuck Your shoelace has come undone. A few pages came loose. with true Her prediction came true. with a to-infinitive to say that someone starts doing something I eventually came to realize (NOT became to realize) I was wrong.

Dictionary pictures of the day
Do you know what each of these is called?

Explore our topic dictionary