became
6 synonyms for became, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Verb — Past tense of become: began to be something, or changed into a different state or condition.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
turned into
came to be
Synonyms by Meaning
1. verb
Past tense of become: began to be something, or changed into a different state or condition.
“She became a solicitor at twenty-five.”
How to use became
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
became known as
became clear
became a father
became apparent
what became of
Neutral. Standard in all writing and speech.
Etymology
Past tense of become, from Old English becuman 'to come to, arrive, happen', from be- plus cuman 'to come'.
Full origin of became →Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between became and become?
Became is the simple past: 'He became a teacher in 2019.' Become is the base form and also the past participle, used after have, has or had: 'He has become a teacher.' Became never follows have.
Is it 'has became' or 'has become'?
Has become. After has, have or had you need the past participle, which for this verb is become, identical to the base form. 'Has became' is always wrong.
