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
  • Around 75,000 people in the study used some type of medication to treat alcohol use disorder.
    Kaitlin Sullivan, NBC News, 13 Nov. 2024
  • The misconception that working harder could prevent or treat depression may further stigmatize those who are affected and discourage them from seeking treatment.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
Definition of treat
Verb
  • Drop the smoking rosemary sprig into the drink and serve.
    Jeff Burkhart, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024
  • The onions served at the McDonald’s locations are past their shelf life and no longer for sale.
    Jonel Aleccia, The Denver Post, 13 Nov. 2024
Definition of serve
Verb
  • This handles installations and updates, as well as syncs your files online.
    PCMAG, PCMAG, 12 Nov. 2024
  • After Tyla’s debut album was controversially moved from R&B to pop, the nominations did little to restore confidence in the Academy’s ability to handle African music.
    Justin Curto, Vulture, 8 Nov. 2024
Definition of handle
Verb
  • The groups’ American Electorate Voter Poll — using a larger Latino sample and additional techniques for polling Hispanics — flipped that outcome, with Harris winning 56% of Latino men to Trump’s 43%.
    Suzanne Gamboa, NBC News, 14 Nov. 2024
  • One bird tutor was then released into each group, so that the flock mates could learn to use one solution over another.
    Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 14 Nov. 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 Nov. 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

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
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
little chihuahua dressing like a turkey for thanksgiving
Giving Thanks Quiz Decide which words express gratitude and which gi...