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être — meaning in English

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English meaning

  • be verb To exist or to have a certain identity, quality, or state.
  • being noun A living creature, especially in phrases like "human being."
  • buffalo verb To intimidate, confuse, or trick someone, often to pressure them into doing something.
  • creature noun A living being, especially an animal.
  • get verb To come to have or receive something; to obtain.
  • have verb To own or possess something.
  • marvel noun Something that causes wonder or amazement.
  • outwit verb To beat someone by being cleverer than them.

Senses

être is used for these senses in English:

  • be (often, impersonal, with it as a dummy subject) Used to indicate ambient conditions such as weather, light, noise or air quality.
  • be (rare, and, regional, chiefly, in the past tense) Used to link two noun clauses: a day of the week, recurring date, month, or other specific time (on which the event of the main clause took place) and a period of time indicating how long ago that day was. [from 15th c.]
  • be (in perfect tenses) Elliptical form of "be here", "go to and return from" or similar, also extending to certain other senses of "go".
  • being A living creature.
  • being The state or fact of existence, consciousness, or life, or something in such a state.
  • buffalo (US, slang, transitive) To outwit, confuse, deceive, or intimidate.
  • creature A living being, such as an animal, monster, or alien.
  • get (intransitive, catenative) (with full infinitive) To be able, be permitted, or have the opportunity (to do something desirable or ironically implied to be desirable).

be — full definition

  1. verb To exist or to have a certain identity, quality, or state.
  2. verb Used with another verb to form continuing or passive actions.

being — full definition

  1. noun A living creature, especially in phrases like "human being."
  2. noun The state of existing; existence itself.
  3. conjunction Given that; since (used to introduce a reason).

Related French words