DictionaryAI

been

BIN/bɪn/BEEN/biːn/

5 meanings of been

Practice

  1. 1
    after haveverb
    Past participle of be. Use it after have, has or had.

    It has been raining all day.

    The broken window has been fixed.

    Note
  2. 2
    without haveverbdialectalUS
    Used in some Southern US and African American speech to show that something happened long ago.

    I been told you that, way back in June.

    She been had that red car since high school.

    Note
  3. 3
    after toverbdialectal
    In some local speech, mostly Southern US and African American, a form used instead of be after words like used to.

    It used to been a little candy store on that corner.

    Yur a boald 'un to tell the missus theer to hur feeace as how ya wur 'tossicatit whan ya owt to been duing yur larful business.
    1888, Mary Augusta Ward, Robert ElsmereHere, been is used in place of be, so it means ought to be doing.

    Similarbe

    Note

Less common meanings

  1. 4
    verbobsolete
    Plural present tense of be. A very old form that meant are.
    My love is fair, my love is gay, / As fresh as been the flowers in May;
    1584, George Peele, The Arraignment of ParisHere, been means are, so the flowers are fresh in May.
    O Friar, those are faults that are not seen, / Ours open, and of worse example been.
    1641, Ben Jonson, The Sad ShepherdHere, been means are, so the faults are a worse example.
    Note
  2. 5
    noundialectalUK
    Plural of bee: more than one bee. This old form is still heard in parts of the UK.

been is a form of be

be, verb: Used to say what someone or something is like, such as their look, age, size, or price. Full entry

Forms
beis he/she/itbeing -ing formwas past tensebeen past participle
Spelling
be → been: irregular (no -ed)

Use it in a sentence

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Origins

Meanings 1–2

It comes from an old past form of "be" in Old English. Today it can be analyzed as be + -en.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

  • Been derives from an Old English past form of be. en.wiktionary.org
  • Be + -en is a surface analysis of modern English been, rather than the historical formation of its Old English ancestor. en.wiktionary.org
Meaning 3

It comes either from an old word meaning "to be", or from people in some areas using "been" in place of "be".

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

  • One proposed origin is an older infinitive meaning 'to be'. en.wiktionary.org
  • The alternative proposed origin is dialectal extension of been to replace infinitival be. en.wiktionary.org
Meaning 4

It comes from an old plural form of "be", made of be + -en.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts