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to be born

to be born

1.0
To start life as a baby when you come into the world
  • phrasal verb
  • /bi bɔrn/
translation icon : nacer
  • His father left him when he was born, his mother left.
  • children are born
  • babies are born
  • be born in another country

Have they do they know that he was born on earth?

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Examples

  • I was born here in England.

  • So I know your brother was born in jail.

  • Bruce wrote back that the baby, a boy, had been born the week before.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • President Barack Obama was born in the United States.

  • I was born in a small town near the coast.

  • My daughter was born during a snowstorm last winter.

  • He was born into a family of musicians and artists.

Synonyms

to come into the world
vsto be born
13 2.4

To be born and start life

focuses on the exact moment a baby begins physical life at birth

Antonyms

1.0

To stop living and no longer be alive

How Mature

mature
199 3.3
to grow up
1.3
childhood
687 1.0
to be born
1.0

Surface Forms

be born infinitive
being born present participle
is born third person singular
was born past
been born past participle

Morphology

be + born

The meaning 'to come into existence at birth' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'be' (to exist) with 'born' (to come into life). This simple existential + birth composition is common across languages and follows normal English grammar, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily understand it.

Etymology

The phrase be born gives a simple picture: a baby comes out of its mother's body and enters the world. That's why be + born means 'to come into existence at birth'.