become

Become is a verb that expresses a change of state or the emergence of something. Its core sense is to come to be or to come into existence, often through a process over time. It can denote gradual development or a concluded result, as in The city has become more crowded, The weather became colder, or She has become a doctor.

In addition to indicating change, become can mean to be fitting or suitable. In this sense, something that becomes someone or something means it is appropriate or flattering. For example, That dress becomes you expresses that the dress suits the wearer well.

Grammatical note: become is an intransitive verb that takes a predicative complement rather than a direct object. It forms tenses with auxiliary have and can be followed by adjectives or noun phrases as the complement: The team has become proficient, The plan has become more complicated, She became a nurse, He became famous.

Conjugation and forms: base form become, third-person singular becomes, present participle becoming, simple past became, past participle become. The verb is irregular in the past tense and participle, with became and become respectively.

Etymology: become originates from Old English becuman, built from be- plus cuman, meaning to come to be or to come into existence. The prefix be- often marks a change of state or a sense of thoroughness.