Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary полностью

2 ADJ If something such as the economy, a company, or a series of talks is becalmed , it is not progressing at all, although it should be. [LITERARY ] □  …the becalmed peace talks.

be|came /b I ke I m/ Became is the past tense of become .

be|cause ◆◆◆ /b I kɒ z, [AM ] b I kɔː z/

1 CONJ You use because when stating the reason for something. □  He is called Mitch, because his name is Mitchell. □  Because it is an area of outstanding natural beauty, you can't build on it. □  'Why didn't you tell me, Archie?'—'Because you might have casually mentioned it to somebody else.'

2 CONJ You use because when stating the explanation for a statement you have just made. □  Maybe they didn't want to ask questions, because they rented us a room without even asking to see our papers. □  The President has played a shrewd diplomatic game because from the outset he called for direct talks with the United States.

3 PHRASE If an event or situation occurs because of something, that thing is the reason or cause. □  Many families break up because of a lack of money. □  Because of the law in Ireland, we had to work out a way of getting her over to Britain.

4 PHRASE You use just because when you want to say that a particular situation should not necessarily make you come to a particular conclusion. [INFORMAL , SPOKEN ] □  Just because something has always been done a certain way does not make it right.

beck /be k/ PHRASE If one person is at another's beck and call , they have to be constantly available and ready to do whatever is asked, and this often seems unfair or undesirable.

beck|on /be kən/ (beckons , beckoning , beckoned )

1 VERB If you beckon to someone, you signal to them to come to you. □ [V + to ] He beckoned to the waiter. □ [V n adv/prep] I beckoned her over. □ [V n to-inf] Hughes beckoned him to sit down on a sofa. [Also V ]

2 VERB If something beckons , it is so attractive to someone that they feel they must become involved in it. □ [V ] All the attractions of the peninsula beckon. □ [V n] The bright lights of Hollywood beckon many. [Also V + to ]

3 VERB If something beckons for someone, it is very likely to happen to them. □ [V + for ] The big time beckons for him. □ [V ] Old age beckons.

be|come ◆◆◆ /b I kʌ m/ (becomes , becoming , became ) The form become is used in the present tense and is the past participle. 1 V‑LINK If someone or something becomes a particular thing, they start to change and develop into that thing, or start to develop the characteristics mentioned. □ [V adj] I first became interested in Islam while I was doing my nursing training. □ [V adj] As she reached the age of thirty, she became convinced she would remain single all her life. □ [V n] After leaving school, he became a professional footballer.

2 VERB [no passive, no cont] If something becomes someone, it makes them look attractive or it seems right for them. □ [V n] Don't be crude tonight, Bernard, it doesn't become you.

3 PHRASE If you wonder what has become of someone or something, you wonder where they are and what has happened to them. □  She thought constantly about her family; she might never know what had become of them.

be|com|ing /b I kʌ m I ŋ/