becomebe‧come /bɪˈkʌm/ ●●● S1 W1 verb (past tense became /-ˈkeɪm/, past participle become) 
The weather became warmer. Slowly my eyes became accustomed to the darkness. Helen became increasingly anxious about her husband’s strange behaviour. Pollution from cars has become a major problem.2[linking verb] to start to have a job or position: George became king at the age of 54. When did you first want to become a teacher?3[transitive not in progressive] formal to be suitable for someone, or to look attractive on them SYN suit: Blue really becomes her. Don’t try to be clever – it doesn’t become you.4what 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?GRAMMAR: Linking verbsBecome is a linking verb. This type of verb links the subject of the sentence with an adjective or noun: · It became more difficult.· She hoped to become a lawyer.THESAURUSbecome to start to have a feeling or quality, or to start to develop into something: · His parents became worried when he was late home from school.· Violent crime is becoming a major problem.· She became more confident when she joined a drama group.get to start to have a feeling or quality. Get is less formal than become and is much more commonly used in everyday English: · I was getting very tired.· Make sure you’re home before it gets dark.go to become something – used about things becoming a different colour, or things or people becoming worse in some way: · Her hair was going grey.· He went blind.· I think I’m going mad.turn to become something – used about things becoming a different colour, or the weather or people’s behaviour changing: · The water had turned bright green.· The weather is expected to turn cold again.· He suddenly turned nasty.grow especially written to gradually become something: · People were growing impatient.· The rich grew richer.come undone/loose/apart to become undone, loose, or separated into pieces: · The screws had come loose.change into something to become something completely different: · The caterpillar changed into a beautiful butterfly.
WORD ORIGINbecome
Origin:
Old English becuman ‘to come to, become’, from cuman ‘to come’VERB TABLE
become
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | become |
| he, she, it | becomes | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | became |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have become |
| he, she, it | has become | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had become |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will become |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have become |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am becoming |
| he, she, it | is becoming | |
| you, we, they | are becoming | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was becoming |
| you, we, they | were becoming | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been becoming |
| he, she, it | has been becoming | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been becoming |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be becoming |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been becoming |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- After a while my eyes became accustomed to the dark.
- After the death of her father, she became the richest woman in the world.
- Baker became head coach.
- Bradley went on to become chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
- Even when I was a kid, I wanted to become a psychologist.
- Every time you open the newspaper these days someone else has just become a millionaire.
- I don't think that outfit really becomes you, Sheryl.
- It is becoming harder to find decent housing in the city.
- It soon became clear that the fire was out of control.
- Julian's book was a big success and he quickly became rich and famous.
- Mobile phones have now become fashion accessories for schoolkids and teenagers.
- My friend Kyle stayed with the company and became a departmental manager.
- She started to become anxious about her son.
- Since winning all that money he's become a very unpleasant person.
- Slowly she became aware that there was someone else in the room.
- The weather is becoming warmer.
- These kinds of partnerships are becoming more common.
- By this time he had become an enduring institution.
- Many people, who had once been middle-class, who had once had dignity, became irrational.
- Somehow they manage to become smaller than life.
- Swindon became the end of the line for east bound Inter City trains.
- The main point is that the clash procedure becomes an end in itself.
- Their world became a blinding wall of white, howling towards them, too fast for thought or action.
THESAURUS
to start to have a feeling or quality, or to start to develop into something: · His parents became worried when he was late home from school.· Violent crime is becoming a major problem.· She became more confident when she joined a drama group.
to start to have a feeling or quality. Get is less formal than become and is much more commonly used in everyday English: · I was getting very tired.· Make sure you’re home before it gets dark.
to become something – used about things becoming a different colour, or things or people becoming worse in some way: · Her hair was going grey.· He went blind.· I think I’m going mad.
to become something – used about things becoming a different colour, or the weather or people’s behaviour changing: · The water had turned bright green.· The weather is expected to turn cold again.· He suddenly turned nasty.
especially written to gradually become something: · People were growing impatient.· The rich grew richer.
to become undone, loose, or separated into pieces: · The screws had come loose.
to become something completely different: · The caterpillar changed into a beautiful butterfly.
Longman Language Activatorwith adjectives if you become rich, famous, worried etc, you start to be rich, famous, worried etc: · Julian's book was a big success and he quickly became rich and famous.· The weather was becoming warmer.· After a while my eyes became accustomed to the dark.become aware/certain/convinced etc that: · Slowly she became aware that there was someone else in the room.it becomes clear/evident/obvious etc that: · It soon became clear that the fire was out of control.
to become: · It normally gets dark at about 8.30 p.m.· The man in the shop got annoyed and started shouting at me.· The situation doesn't seem to be getting any better.· I think I'm getting too old for this kind of thing.· You'll need to take out insurance, in case anything gets damaged in the move.
: grow old/tired/worse/larger etc to slowly and gradually become old, tired etc: · As we grow old, we worry more about our health.· I'd been waiting for forty minutes and I was beginning to grow uneasy.· The sound of footsteps grew louder.· Fiona was growing tired of being treated in this way.
to become - only use go with these words: go grey/white/red/dark etc: · Her face went bright red with embarrassment.go mad/wild/crazy: · Your dad'll go crazy when he finds out.go quiet/silent: · As soon as the band started playing, the crowd went silent.go bad/sour/cold: · My coffee's gone cold.
to become - only use turn with these words: turn red/white/blue etc: · It was late autumn and the leaves were slowly turning golden.turn nasty/mean: · When I said that I was not prepared to help him, he suddenly turned nasty.turn sour: · Their friendship was beginning to turn sour.turn cold/warm: · Just when we were all getting our summer clothes out, it turned cold again.
with nouns · Since winning all that money he's become a very unpleasant person.· Mobile phones have now become fashion accessories for schoolkids and teenagers.
if someone or something changes or turns into someone or something else, they become completely different: · The little brown caterpillar will eventually turn into a beautiful butterfly.· She's changed into a much gentler person since she had her own kids.· During the brewing process all the sugar turns into alcohol.change from something into something: · When I went back, the countryside had changed from farmland into housing estates and factory sites.
to gradually change over a long time and become a different type of person, place, or thing: · Leo had grown into a slim blond young man since she last saw him.· In recent years the town has grown into a city of about 500,000 people.· The crowd's cheers slowly grew into a loud crescendo of noise.
to gradually change and become something or someone that is better or worse than before: · Over the years the college developed into one of the finest language institutions in all of South East Asia.· Joe had no athletic ability, and was developing into an overweight child.· 3000 troops were sent to prevent the disturbances from developing into a full-scale civil war.
to become a teacher, manager, student, etc · Even when I was a kid, I wanted to become a psychologist.· My friend Kyle stayed with the company and became a departmental manager.· Bradley went on to become chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.· Every time you open the newspaper these days someone else has just become a millionaire.
informal to succeed in getting an important job: · She got to be a lawyer through sheer hard work and determination.· I wanted to ask him how he got to be boss of such a big company.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES Her eyes quickly became accustomed to the dark. Bill became aware that he was still holding his glass. As she grew older, Laura became increasingly disillusioned with politics. Japan became dominant in the mass market during the 1980s. He became very emotional when we had to leave. I didn’t want to become entangled with my best friend’s wife. It soon became evident that she was seriously ill. Pandas could become extinct in the wild. Access to the Internet is fast becoming a necessity. There was still no news of Jill, and her parents were getting frantic. We are growing impatient with the lack of results. India became independent in 1947. Sir Ralph was becoming maudlin after his third glass of claret. Short term contracts are now the norm with some big companies. computer hardware that quickly became obsolete The new system became operational in March. the steps to be taken before the scheme can become operative Malcolm got really paranoid, deciding that there was a conspiracy out to get him. He became politicised during his years in prison. The children had been indoors all day, and were getting restless. I was very excited about becoming an uncle (=your sister or your brother’s wife has a child). I’m thinking about becoming a vegetarian. He only took the job to get vested in the pension fund. For Mark, travelling has become a way of life. After his wife’s death he became more and more withdrawn.
Her eyes quickly became accustomed to the dark.· In the 40 years since the Abortion Act became law there have been repeated attempts to amend or repeal it.
· She didn’t want to get into another argument about money.· I left to avoid becoming involved in an argument.
· The organisers hope the event will become an annual attraction.
· Luckily a house soon became available for us.
Bill became aware that he was still holding his glass.· Some of these ideas became the basis for the Parents’ Educational Union.
· Every sportsperson dreams of becoming a world champion.
· It has become a cliché to say that Prague is the most beautiful city in Europe.
(also get cold informal)· In my country, it never really gets cold.
· They became committed Christians.
· If you get depressed, talk to someone about it.
As she grew older, Laura became increasingly disillusioned with politics. Japan became dominant in the mass market during the 1980s.· Sometimes I get embarrassed, and I start to stutter.
· Your behaviour is becoming an embarrassment to the school.
He became very emotional when we had to leave. I didn’t want to become entangled with my best friend’s wife. It soon became evident that she was seriously ill. Pandas could become extinct in the wild. Access to the Internet is fast becoming a necessity.· When you give a talk you become the focus of attention.
There was still no news of Jill, and her parents were getting frantic.· Liz and Vanessa soon became friends.
· Once you have been driving for a few weeks, it becomes a habit.
· He became a national hero for his part in the war.
(also get ill informal)· She became ill after eating oysters.
· The drug did not become illegal until the 1970s.
We are growing impatient with the lack of results.· As it became darker, it became impossible for the players to see the ball.
India became independent in 1947.· Prince Charles will become king when his mother, Queen Elizabeth, dies.
(=officially be made a law)· For a bill to become law, it must be approved by both Houses of Parliament.
· The incident became legend.
(=be clearly shown) Their devotion to God is made manifest in ritual prayer.
Their devotion to God is made manifest in ritual prayer. Sir Ralph was becoming maudlin after his third glass of claret.· Germany became a member of N.A.T.O. in 1954.
· Everyone gets nervous before a big game.
· Their honeymoon turned into a nightmare when they were involved in a car accident.
Short term contracts are now the norm with some big companies.· For Rosie, losing weight had become an obsession.
computer hardware that quickly became obsolete· It soon became obvious that the boy was not really interested.
The new system became operational in March. the steps to be taken before the scheme can become operative (=use only organic methods to farm)· More farms are becoming organic, but it is not always an easy choice.
Malcolm got really paranoid, deciding that there was a conspiracy out to get him. (=not exist anymore, or stop existing)· We hope that smoking will become a thing of the past.
He became politicised during his years in prison.· Sally became pregnant, and gave birth to a baby son.
· It was only when I coughed that he became aware of my presence.
· Mary Tudor became queen in 1553.
(=really happen, after being hoped for, feared, etc by someone)· Last June, her longed-for baby finally became a reality.
The children had been indoors all day, and were getting restless.· Over the years, he became enormously rich.
British English (=people become annoyed)· People were pushing each other, and tempers were becoming frayed.
I was very excited about becoming an uncle (=your sister or your brother’s wife has a child). I’m thinking about becoming a vegetarian. He only took the job to get vested in the pension fund. For Mark, travelling has become a way of life. After his wife’s death he became more and more withdrawn.· You should have called me. I was getting worried.
· The recession was getting worse.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB· It is typical of the farmland which will increasingly become redundant.· As a result, tans made in the shade are becoming increasingly popular with those wanting to practice safe sun.· It may become increasingly necessary to avoid contact with certain people as much as possible.· Over the next forty days, the liturgies would become increasingly meditative.· The use of corpora is becoming increasingly important in the production of dictionaries.· As the war progressed the two combatants became increasingly receptive to representations from non-involved powers.· Their bowed shape can be justified on the assumption that both inflation and unemployment become increasingly unpopular the higher they are.· The Left became increasingly middle-class and this reinforced the already strong opposition to it among trade union officials.
· Moreover, as a worker gets older, overtime, shift work and so on become less and less a physical possibility.· Her letters to Jacqueline, too, became less frequent.· Drew became less punctual, he muffed his lines, and was often replaced by an understudy.· As the outgunned enemy tried to fire back, our fire became less random.· As agricultural specialization increased and farmers became less self-sufficient they, too, had consumer needs to be catered for.· In addition, you become less sensitive to light and sound and are therefore difficult to awaken.· In the later years, teaching generally becomes less formal.· The same gradual process will be needed to help a child become less aggressive.
· During recent years, librarians have become more aware of the need to evaluate programmes of library instruction.· I see three important constituent elements of the digital realm becoming more evident every day: malleability, anonymity and connectivity.· Sharp's graphics became more lurid.· Production becomes more important to the leader as his or her rating advances on the horizontal scale.· The riding became more regular and I wanted to ride more often than I could.· Over time Miles's maps have become more accurate, in part because of his earlier efforts.· These systems are going to become more and more simple, to accomplish more and more complex tasks.· Anthropologists have also noted that the intensity of parental interaction with children increases as societies become more complex.
· I had become so interested in a nice neat pattern that I hadn't checked if I had found all the shapes.· Who immediately became so righteously pissed that one of them quit and the other demanded a raise.· The first company to market them in tomato sauce became so favoured as to make the others almost unsaleable.· Life has become so dreary and exhausting.· His neck and shoulders gradually became so stiff that he had to turn in one piece from the waist up.· I even became so desperate that I thought of returning to corporate life.· But the winds became so fierce that the whole forest shook.· The ogre became so wealthy by being a great landowner; people had to pay tribute to him to get any-thing.
· Great plans are afoot to ban smoking in public places, resulting in smokers soon becoming complete outcasts in society.· Dozens, however, soon became effective leaders in the struggle to desegregate the Boston schools.· It was published on 22 July, and it soon became clear that the schools were not interested.· However, if functionally one is considered an unequal, ontology soon becomes irrelevant.· With migraines results often take longer, but the attacks soon become less frequent and their intensity decreases.· Without new drugs, Vitor and other patients may soon become untreatable.· Such systems could operate at lower cost than current methods and may soon become commercialized.
· The team would do what the individual could no longer do because the organisation was becoming too large and/or complex.· With a longer life span, a lot of people are just becoming too frail to take care of themselves.· Mama had stopped using the notebook when she'd become too ill for them to have any more happy times together.· Its peeling paint and broken windows stand testimony that it went out of business because it had become too costly to maintain.· The calves grow quickly and can be taken to substantial weights without becoming too fat, providing prime beef.· She had not allowed herself to become too attached to the child.· It was only decisively ended by the Revolution of 1688, Muddiman having become too closely associated with the fallen regime.· Once again, Williams tried to play through the pain, but after a while, it became too much to bear.
· First, any distinction between party officials and state officials becomes very blurred.· It became very popular with the men of our company.· They became very good friends indeed, which, naturally, did not please Lord Burlesdon.· When epileptic areas are close to language areas-and often they are-it becomes very important to map language abilities before removing anything.· The justification for this chapter now becomes very clear.· The Golden Globes have become very prominent.· Such places have become very popular growth points for industries which cluster together at them.· How clear is the link between performance results and the capabilities the organization must become very good at?
NOUN· Children's behaviour problems become a focus of concern when the child is behaving inappropriately or excessively for their age.· As geology has become the focus of more attention, it has aroused the curiosity of young people about nature in general.· This is because health and the quality and availability of health care often become the focus of community struggle.· I made two more visits to Knowlton, and it has now become a focus for my own particular pilgrimage.· The part of the wood where we were had become the focus to which all the firing converged.· Mrs Chan, who epitomises the tradition, became a focus for his frustrations.· The fate of the bears has become the focus for battles between conservationists and developers.
· Buyers would become members in the same way, and with similar rights.· For example, he could become a member of a team, or a technical advisor available to all teams.· By 1652 he had become a member of a syndicate engaged in victualling the navy.· Her prayers and heroic patience caused the conversion of her husband, who became a member of the Franciscan Third Order.· Indeed, our self-identity as a nation is integrally related to our response to those who seek to become members.
· During the next couple of years, however, this dream may have a chance of becoming a reality.· The hype became reality when Gretzky skated to the center circle to face off with Trevor Linden.· What a shame it must one day become reality - it will never match these views for charm and elegance.· More than 100 years ago, Jules Verne was writing about them, but now they are becoming a reality.· Hope had betrayed her into thinking dreams could become reality.· Whatever the reason, his perception became reality.· We shall have to see if one of the more interesting measures in the Budget ever becomes reality.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► be/become part of the furniture► be/become/be declared persona non grata
1[linking verb] to start to have a feeling or quality, or to start to develop into something: - And so maybe then, gradually at first, Kathy became attuned to a curious new odor in the air.
- But we try to be attuned to modern artifacts and what active players are doing, too.
- Having become attuned to them, I now hear them everywhere, every day.
- I became attuned to the high-toned squeaking of shrews, which appeared to be engaged in conflict.
- Some patients with severe headache problems become habituated to ergotamines and other non-narcotic drugs.
- Un-learning is more difficult than learning - because we become habituated to thinking or feeling in certain ways over time.
- He did not become hardened or accustomed.
- Many people become human relations victims over and over again without becoming hardened, insensitive or recluses.
- Once a happy, handsome country boy, Inman has become hardened, cynical, burned out.
- Typing becomes second nature after a while.
- But the main reason for my silence was that secrecy and deception had by then become second nature to me.
- By the time you die, you should be so used to paying taxes that it would almost be second nature anyway.
- Gradually those qualities become second nature.
- If one is well grounded in youth, the object of love and sound toilet training, these things become second nature.
- Management by objective was becoming second nature in the West Wing.
- Pay close attention to the sweep pattern and strokes, and this will eventually become second nature.
- Practice breathing in this way for twenty minutes each day until it becomes second nature.
- The strange and difficult was becoming second nature in the way that it had when I'd learned to fly.
- The helpline is a victim of its own success with so many people calling that no one can get through.
- Moreover, to a great extent the health service is a victim of its own success.
The weather became warmer. Slowly my eyes became accustomed to the darkness. Helen became increasingly anxious about her husband’s strange behaviour. Pollution from cars has become a major problem.2[linking verb] to start to have a job or position: George became king at the age of 54. When did you first want to become a teacher?3[transitive not in progressive] formal to be suitable for someone, or to look attractive on them SYN suit: Blue really becomes her. Don’t try to be clever – it doesn’t become you.4what 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?GRAMMAR: Linking verbsBecome is a linking verb. This type of verb links the subject of the sentence with an adjective or noun: · It became more difficult.· She hoped to become a lawyer.THESAURUSbecome to start to have a feeling or quality, or to start to develop into something: · His parents became worried when he was late home from school.· Violent crime is becoming a major problem.· She became more confident when she joined a drama group.get to start to have a feeling or quality. Get is less formal than become and is much more commonly used in everyday English: · I was getting very tired.· Make sure you’re home before it gets dark.go to become something – used about things becoming a different colour, or things or people becoming worse in some way: · Her hair was going grey.· He went blind.· I think I’m going mad.turn to become something – used about things becoming a different colour, or the weather or people’s behaviour changing: · The water had turned bright green.· The weather is expected to turn cold again.· He suddenly turned nasty.grow especially written to gradually become something: · People were growing impatient.· The rich grew richer.come undone/loose/apart to become undone, loose, or separated into pieces: · The screws had come loose.change into something to become something completely different: · The caterpillar changed into a beautiful butterfly.