- past participle of be.
been
Americanverb
verb
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Andrew McCarthy, the lead prosecutor in Abdel-Rahman’s trial, wrote that Hamawy had been a “sympathizer.”
From Slate ● Jul. 14, 2026
The other train had been travelling in the same direction and was running ahead of the Corby service, having originated in Nottingham at 15:50.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
Reid points out, because “Japanese inflation has been relatively low globally, while its currency slumped, Japan now stands out among its developed market peers as being extremely cheap when converting to dollars .”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
By the end of the week, many of them felt they had been ignored.
From Slate ● Jul. 14, 2026
Father replies, “Competition means suspicion, bad tempers. I’ve been feeling it, too.”
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
