Phrasal Verbs with 'Be'

Be About

be about
1. be near, nearby:
  - He must be somewhere about.
2. be available or active (in a certain place) :
  - Step carefully, there are snakes about.
  - There comes the commission, they are to be about from the first of May until the fifteenth.
be about something
1. be doing something; be busy with something:
  - What are you about?
  - She doesn't know what she's about.
be about to do something
1. used to indicate an action that may soon occur based on the situation:
  - So what is it exactly he's about to do?
  - It's about to rain.
  - Being about to fall, he took his hands out of the pockets.
2. used to express planned action:
  - So what is it exactly he's about to do?

Be Above

be above something
1. be superior; rise superior to something:
  - She's above criticism. (She is flawless.)
  - It's above my head. (This is too difficult for me to understand.)
be above oneself
1. overestimate one's worth:
  - He's above himself and thinks he knows everything.
2. get out of obedience; become unmanageable:
  - Something needs to be done. He is above himself.

Be After

be after something
1. try to do or get anything; be interested in something:
  - He is after money, not friendship.
be after someone for something
1. pester someone with something:
  - He's always after me for something.

Be Against

be against someone or something
1. oppose someone or something; object to someone or something:
  - He wasn't against my doing it.
  - It is against my principles to tell a lie.

Be Ahead

be ahead of someone or something
1. be outrunning, winning or in a superior position compared to someone or something
  - Development of transportation is far ahead of road infrastructure.

Be At

be at someone
1. criticize or complain someone in an annoying way; pester someone (with any request) :
  - She was at me all evening for I came drunk again.
  - He was at me to let him go outside. / He was at me about letting him go outside.
2. be doing something; be busy with something; deal with something:
  - What are you at?
  - Who's been at my stuff? (Who touched / used my stuff?)

Be Away

be away
1. be gone; be out of one's place:
  - I won't be away for long.
  - I'll be away to Simferopol for a few days.
2. immerse in thoughts:
  - He is away in a world of his own.

Be Back

be back
1. return; come back:
  - I will be back soon.
2. come back into fashion; become popular again:
  - Oversized sunglasses are back again.

Be Behind

be behind (someone, something)
1. lag (behind someone or something):
  - He's behind the times.
  - They are a powerhouse team and never give up even when they are behind in the score.
2. be in arrears:
  - They're behind with their rent.
3. support someone:
  - I'm behind you all the way.

Be Down

be down
1. indicates a location below the current position (see also Down vs. Up):
  - The nearest bus stop is down the street, it's in three minutes on foot.
2. go (temporarily) out of order:
  - Our home WiFi network is down.
be down
1. finish; have a small amount:
  - Crime is down. (The crime rate is dropping.)
be down (to some quantity)
1. decline (to a certain level):
  - We discovered that our water stock was down to two bottles.
be down (with something)
1. get sick with something:
  - He is down with the flu.
be down (with someone or something)
1. be in agreement with someone or something; cooperate; get along with someone, enjoy something:
  - I'm down with your solution.
  - I'm down with this music.
  - —Are we going for a walk? —I'm down.

Be Down and Out

be down and out
1. be exhausted; be helpless :
  - I'm not so down and out that I can't handle this.
2. be in need; be without funds:
  - For years she had been down and out in Los Angeles, singing for $5 a night.

Be For

be for someone, something
1. be on someone's side; support anyone, anything:
  - I'm all for what you say.
  - I was for giving her another chance.
2. be a cause; be a harbinger of something:
  - It can't be for nothing!
  - Maybe it's all for the best.
be for someone to do something
1. be someone's right or duty to do something:
  - It's not for me to decide whether you should do this or not.

Be In

be in
1. be at home; be in place:
  - (At) what time are you in tomorrow?
  - I have said I'm in for no one.
2. be involved, join in an activity:
  - Are you in? – Are you with us (in business)?
3. be in fashion:
  - Oversized sunglasses are in this year.
4. to be in jail:
  - He was in for fraud.

Be In For

be in for something
1. be waiting for something:
  - What are we in for this today?
  - Having come home she was in for a surprise.
2. be involved in something; take part in something:
  - He has no idea what he is to be in for.

Be Into

be into someone or something
1. love; like; be carried away by someone or something :
  - He's into his new neighboress.
be into something
1. be involved in something:
  - I don't care what he's into.

Be Of

be of something
1. be determined by some sign: be of interest = be interesting; be of use = be useful:
  - Please let me know if I can be of help.
  - I was of two minds whether to leave or to stay.
  - They were all of a size (one size / the same size).
  - Benefits may be of two types: cash benefits and benefits in kind.
2. belong to something:
  - I am of Ireland.
3. be made of something:
  - It is of wood.

Be Off

be off
1. be canceled:
  - I must call my wife, tell her our date night⁽¹⁾ is off.
  - If I haven't seen some results by tomorrow, the deal is off.
2. be turned off; be switched off:
  - The electricity is off.
3. be free of any business:
  - I will be off by 5 o'clock today.
4. be confused; not be at one's best; be out of luck :
  - I've been a little off these last few days.
be off (to somewhere)
1. go; go away (somewhere):
  - Be off! (Get out!)
  - I must be off.
  - Well, I'm off to bed.
be off something
1. lose interest in something; quit (about the habit):
  - When you are ill you can be off your food.
  - I've been off cigarettes for two years.
2. figuratively: be outside of something, be without something:
  - He's been off his game this last couple of days. (He's not been in his best shape.)
  - Don't be off your guard. (Don't be careless.)
  - Are you off your head?

Be On

be on
1. happen; take place:
  - Join our mailing list, so you know about what's on in our community.
2. be on display; be on show; be on exhibit:
  - The film is on in a few minutes.
3. be turned on; be switched on:
  - The electricity is on.
be on something
1. usually about drugs: take or be under the influence of something:
  - You shouldn't drink alcohol while you're on antibiotics.
  - He looks as if he's on drugs.
2. in idioms, figuratively: be in something, be with something:
  - It's nice to know someone here is on his game. (It's nice to know that someone here knows what to do.)
  - Our experienced team are on hand to advise you on any questions. (Our experienced team is always ready to advise you on any questions.)

Be On About

be on about something
1. hint, imply; talk about something (in a long or unintelligible conversation) :
  - What is he on about? (What is he talking about. / What does he mean?)
  - I have no idea what he's on about.

Be On At

be on at someone
1. pestering someone over and over again with a request:
  - She is always on at me about earning more money.

Be Out

be out
1. open up, become known:
  - It's no use keeping the truth back. Everything will be out anyway.
2. leave a certain place (usually for a short time; not be at home, at work, and the like):
  - He's out at the moment.
  - I told you, I'm out to lunch.
3. do not have (enough); lack:
  - Something is out here. (Something is missing here.)
  - I'm out of cigarettes.
be out to do something
1. colloquial intend, decide to do something:
  - She's out to prove herself. (She's going to show what she's capable of.)
be out of something
1. go beyond the boundaries or the limits of anything:
  - If something is out of range it is too far away to be reached or detected.

Be Out and About

be out and about
1. go to the active phase after rest or an ordinary state:
  - The snake season is upon us, which means snakes will soon be out and about after a long period of hibernation – hungry and in search of food.^[1]
2. get better (come back to the ordinary run of things after illness):
  - I'm glad you are out and about again after the operation.
3. become available after a breakdown:
  - Your car will be out and about in an hour.
4. go out into the light, into circulation; become available :
  - Our postcards and posters will soon be out and about giving you all the details of our event.^[2]
  - He decided it wouldn't be foreseeing for him to be out and about now.
  - You need to be out and about, mate.
  - I usually read books if I'm not out and about.

Be Up

be up
1. be on your feet; wake up; stay awake :
  - Usually I'm already up at seven o'clock.
2. happen, take place; be relevant:
  - What's up?
  - Is the offer still up for grabs?
3. climb, be on top, reach a high position:
  - Gasoline prices are up about 40 cents in a month.
  - He is up in his room.
  - She is up in years, but she has a huge spirit.

Be Up For

be up for something
1. be in the mood to do something; be ready for anything:
  - Are you up for shopping?
  - I think he's up for the challenge.
2. figuratively: be under some action:
  - This house is up for sale.
  - This isn't up for discussion anyway.
  - All facets of the matter has been up for review.

Be Up To

be up to something
1. be capable, ready for something; match, fit something:
  - I think he's up to the challenge.
  - I'm not up to waiting that long.
  - Where are you up to with your treatment? (How are you doing with your treatment?)
  - Please, review the application example and make sure that yours is up to sample.
2. meditate doing something, conceive something :
  - I have to know what she is up to.
3. be dependent, be determined by something:
  - It's up to me, not to you, to decide that.
  - Now it's all up to you.
  - That one's life is up to oneself is a pivotal developmental epiphany.

Be With

be with someone:
1. agree with someone; support, be on someone's side:
  - I am entirely with you in this.

Notes

¹⁾ Date night – originally, this is the evening time that a married couple has allocated for themselves away from children and everyday worries, but can also be used in relation to any time of the day.

Citation

^1] Garin Joemath #KeepYourEyesOnTheSnake // tame TIMES Newspaper (28.02.2019).

^2] HISTON Handmade (histonhandmade.com) at twitter.com (twitter.com/HistonHandmade) (28.02.2019).

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