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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 (to some quantity)
    1. finish; have a small amount; decline (to a certain level):
      • Crime is down. (The crime rate is dropping.)
      • 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 don't see 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. 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; get better (come back to normal); become available after a breakdown:
      • You need to be out and about, mate.
      • I usually read books if I'm not out and about.
      • I'm glad you are out and about again after the operation.
      • He decided it wouldn't be foreseeing for him to be out and about now.
      • 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]
      • Your car will be out and about in an hour.
    2. 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]

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.
See also
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.
Sources
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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