be (to)

verb

Definition of be (to)next
as in to treat
to behave toward in a stated way you need to be nice to your brother

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for be (to)
  1. treat
  2. serve
  3. handle
  4. use
Verb
  • Wellness should be treated like any other business initiative: constantly evaluated, reframed and updated to remain relevant.
    Arthur Zaczkiewicz, WWD, 10 Dec. 2024
  • The brand treats each batch as a unique new vintage bottling and proofing to express the best qualities of each set of barrels rather than blending for a consistent flavor profile.
    Joseph V Micallef, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2024
Definition of treat
Verb
  • The drama is based on Robyn Carr’s novels; it was developed by Sue Tenney, who served as showrunner until Smith took over in Season 5.
    Emily Longeretta, Variety, 19 Dec. 2024
  • Washington's Pope was inspired by Judy Smith, who previously served as deputy press secretary in President George H. W. Bush's administration.
    Esther Kang, People.com, 19 Dec. 2024
Definition of serve
Verb
  • The system that flawlessly handled 1,000 daily requests crashed when usage jumped to 100,000 requests after a successful product launch.
    Sai Arava, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024
  • Therefore the decision to designate Christmas Eve as a holiday rests solely on the president, with each handling it differently.
    Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA TODAY, 19 Dec. 2024
Definition of handle
Verb
  • One of Trump's top confidants, billionaire Elon Musk, who used his massive social media following to help kill the spending bill, even suggested Congress leave the government closed until Trump takes office next month, and a handful of Republican hardliners in the House agreed.
    Sam Woodward, USA TODAY, 21 Dec. 2024
  • Finding Chiron’s gas In the new study, a team used data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to study these TNOs that are a bit like floating time capsules.
    Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 20 Dec. 2024
Definition of use
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Thesaurus Entries Near be (to)

bêtises

be (to)

betoken

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Be (to).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/be%20%28to%29. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

Point of View: It's Personal

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Words You Always Have to Look Up
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

8 Words with Fascinating Histories

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

Birds Say the Darndest Things

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

10 Scrabble Words Without Any Vowels
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
naughty or nice
Are you naughty or nice? Quiz He's making a quiz, and checking it twice...