became

verb

past tense of become
as in grew
to eventually have as a state or quality many people became sick with the flu with the arrival of autumn the days become crisper and breezier

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of became Officials said the three victims became trapped inside one of the motel rooms as the fire spread. — Paloma Chavez, PEOPLE, 3 July 2026 Weather became a way to distinguish Elle from those around her in Seattle. — Angelina Mazza, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2026 In addition to fashion design, teaching became a passion of his. — Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 2 July 2026 Someone in the Mamdani administration should look at what happened in the 1970s and ’80s when the city became the largest landlord in the five boroughs. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 29 June 2026 After several generations, those faster-growing cells produced more offspring and became increasingly common in the population, demonstrating a basic form of natural selection. — Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 3 July 2026 Beijing has exerted greater institutional control in Tibet since Xi Jinping became the country's president in 2012. — Kanishka Singh, USA Today, 3 July 2026 After helping Boston win two World Series titles, Lester joined the Cubs and became a cornerstone of Chicago’s historic championship run in 2016. — Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026 Despite initially battling with burnout, and if the professional path was for her, Anderson became a four-time All-American in her five years with the program, while also competing in pro tournaments funded by FSU. — Ava Dicecca, Sun Sentinel, 29 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for became
  1. grew
  2. got
  3. went
  4. came
  5. turned
Verb
  • Bank of America economists analyzed aggregate credit and debit card spending from 70 million consumer and small-business accounts and found Gen Z fitness spending grew about 9%, compared with less than 4% growth in bar spending.
    — Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 6 July 2026
  • Hopes that the Federal Reserve wouldn't need to hike interest rates grew after Thursday's weaker-than-expected jobs report.
    — Alex Harring, CNBC, 6 July 2026
Definition of grew
Verb
  • Three players who logged heavy minutes in the two previous games -- Vlad Goldin, Jahmir Young and Trevor Keels -- got the night off.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 7 July 2026
  • And the Dodgers got another shot, with Pages on second to start the inning.
    — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
Definition of got
Verb
  • The rookie point guard went 7 of 19 from the field and 4 of 9 from 3-point range after struggling with his shot in his summer league debut.
    — Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 7 July 2026
  • Desperate to close the gap, Sebastian Berhalter brought energy off the bench and nearly scored, but his shot went wide left.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 7 July 2026
Definition of went
Verb
  • That came just a few days after news broke that Palantir had secured a $10 billion contract from the US Army over the next decade.
    — Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2025
  • All five of Bednar’s outs came via strikeout on Wednesday.
    — Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 7 Aug. 2025
Definition of came
Verb
  • Volatile, quarrelsome, dogmatic, and sure of his own brilliance, Reinhold outraged patrons, amassed huge debts, and turned his eldest son into an exhausted workhorse.
    — Jenny Uglow, The New York Review of Books, 4 July 2026
  • Paraguay seemed to fade after the Mbappé goal, but turned it on again late, forcing Mike Maignan to make his first save of the day about 89 and a half minutes into the match.
    — Matt Reigle, FOXNews.com, 4 July 2026
Definition of turned

Browse Nearby Words

becalms
became
because
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Cite this Entry

“Became.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/became. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of became for Spanish Speakers

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