being

The word “being” means a living creature, especially in phrases like "human being.". In plain terms, a living creature, or the fact of existing.

“Being” is pronounced BEE-ihng (/ˈbi.ɪŋ/ in IPA).

Here is “being” used in a sentence: “Every human being deserves basic dignity.”

Depending on how it is used, “being” can be a noun and a conjunction.

The word “being” comes from Middle English. From Middle English being, formed from the verb "be" plus the noun-forming suffix "-ing.".

“Being” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A2 level.

“Being” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a living creature, especially in phrases like "human being.".

A being is any living, conscious creature; a human is one particular kind of being. So every human is a being, but not every being is human — animals and, in stories, aliens or spirits count as beings too. The phrase 'human being' simply specifies which sort of being we mean.

It depends on the sense. As a noun for a creature — 'a living being' — it means an entity that exists. But being also names the abstract state of existing itself, as in 'the nature of being.' Same spelling, two ideas: one is a creature, the other is existence.

Humans are the most familiar beings, but the word covers any living creature — animals, birds, and insects are all beings. It also stretches to imagined or spiritual ones: aliens are extraterrestrial beings, and myths speak of divine or supernatural beings. The common thread is that a being is alive or conscious.

'Human being' emphasises our shared identity as living, feeling creatures, not just a species label. 'Human' alone can sound clinical or work as an adjective, while 'human being' underlines personhood and dignity — which is why it is common in phrases like 'treat people like human beings.'