been

B3E1E1N1
/bɪn/[bɪn]/biːn/[bɪi̯n]

verb

remote past form of be.

“Postman been?”

Similar
Very commonScrabble 6

Meanings

been1

verb
  1. participlepastpast participle of be.

    Postman been?

    3 more examples

    All the fries have been eaten.

    We're safe, but the car's been totaled.

    They been here since yesterday. (dialectal, e.g. AAVE, omitting have)

  2. Southern US or African-American Vernacularremote past form of be.

    He been had that job.

    2 more examples

    We been knew they was doing this.

    She was disloyal, Casper was disloyal, so them muthafuckas gotta go. Like you said[,] we been knew we was going to have to kill Frost, so let's do it and Light too.” Star said. “Say no more. I'ma handle Kisha myself.” Max said walking to the door.

    2013, DayQuan Miller, Back Blocks, StealthMode Entertainment, page 147

been2

verb
  1. rareSouthern US or African-American VernacularSynonym of be (infinitival sense).

    It useta been five foot long.

    3 more examples

    "Bones", says he, "I tink dey's a-goin' to been a war ober de Alabamy question[…]

    1875, Minstrel Gags and End Men's Hand-book, New York: Dick and Fitzgerald, page 83; republished New York: Literature House, 1969

    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, “Book I”, in Robert Elsmere, London: Macmillan and Company, page 20

    […]But one time it use' to been so cold right first of the winter.

    1966, DARE Tape SC10, quotee, “be v”, in Frederic G. Cassidy, Joan Houston Hall, editors, Dictionary of American Regional English, volume 1, Harvard University Press, published 1985, page 178

    Synonyms: be

been3

verb
  1. obsoletepluralpresentplural simple present of be.

    Where when men been, there's ſeldome eaſe,

    c. 1607–1608 (date written), William Shakespeare, [George Wilkins?], The Late, and Much Admired Play, Called Pericles, Prince of Tyre. […], London: […] [William White and Thomas Creede] for Henry Gosson, […], published 1609, →OCLC, [Act II, prologue]
    4 more examples

    My love is fair, my love is gay, / As fresh as been the flowers in May;

    1584, George Peele, The Arraignment of Paris, I, ii

    Theſe Beaſtes been of higheſt Regard and Price / To pleaſure Princes and to murder vice.

    1606, N[athaniel] B[axter], Sir Philip Sydneys Ouránia, That Is, Endimions Song and Tragedie, Containing All Philosophie, London: […] Ed. Allde, for Edward White, […], →OCLC, signature G, recto

    O Friar, those are faults that are not seen, / Ours open, and of worse example been.

    1641, Ben Jonson, The Sad Shepherd, I, iii

    Some of green Boughs their slender Cabbins frame, / Some lodged were Tortoſa's streets about, / Of all the Hoſt the Chief of Worth and Name / Aſſembled been, a Senate grave and ſtout;

    1686, Edward Fairfax, transl., Godfrey of Bulloigne: Or, The Recovery of Jerusalem, section 20, page 8

been4

noun
  1. UKdialectalpluralplural of bee

Synonyms & antonyms

verbSynonym of be (infinitival sense).

Similar

Origin

been · verb

  1. Proto-Indo-European*ḱe?
  2. Proto-Indo-European*ḱóm
  3. Proto-Germanic*ga-
  4. Proto-West Germanic*ga-
  5. Old Englishġe-
  6. Proto-Indo-European*bʰuH-
  7. Proto-Indo-European*bʰuHyétider.?
  8. Proto-Germanic*beuną
  9. Proto-West Germanic*beun
  10. Old Englishbēon
  11. Old Englishġebēon
  12. Middle Englishbeen
  13. Englishbeen

From Middle English been (past participle), from Old English (ġe)bēon. By surface analysis, be + -en.

Full word history & related roots →

been · verb

  1. Old Englishbēon
  2. Middle Englishbeen“to be”
  3. Englishbeen

Either from Middle English been (“to be”, infinitive) (from Old English bēon, equivalent to be + -en (infinitive ending)), or from a dialectal use of the preceding past tense form as an infinitive form (compare dialectal use of (I)'s, (I) is in the first person, (he) am in the third person, etc).

Full word history & related roots →

been · verb

  1. Middle Englishbeen
  2. Englishbeen

From Middle English been (plural indicative form); equivalent to be + -en (plural present ending).

Full word history & related roots →

been · noun

  1. Old Englishbēon“bees”
  2. Middle Englishbeen
  3. Englishbeen

From Middle English been, bene, ben, beon, from Old English bēon (“bees”), equivalent to bee + -en (plural ending).

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with been

All rhymes →

Sounds the same

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

been. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/been

MLA

“been.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/been. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “been,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/been.

Source: been on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.