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Glite Dictionary
🔄 To change into ✨ To suit
to become

to become

178 3.5
Make a person or thing look good
  • verb
  • /bɪˈkʌm/
translation icon : sentar bien
  • A smile always becomes him, making him appear more friendly.

Examples

  • After graduating from high school, she wants to attend college and become a police detective.

    Academic text (2013)

  • Anne-Sylvie was beside him and had become far more appealing than she had been upstairs.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • Not becoming for one of your social standing.

    Deadly Harvest (1977)

  • It's the most becoming dress you've had on.

    Tootsie (1982)

  • But this way of life also carries rewards and is becoming a more attractive option for millions of people.

    Academic text (2012)

  • I've been doing so good in English classes, I figured I'd take next fall off and become a writer.

    Dazed and Confused (1993)

  • It's very becoming.

    The Hoax (2006)

  • It's very becoming, Meg.

    Little Women (1994)

  • That dress really becomes you; it highlights your best features.

  • The new hairstyle is quite becoming for her, giving her a fresh look.

Synonyms

to suit
vsto become
105 1.4

To make someone look more attractive or right for an occasion

focuses on making appearance attractive and appropriate in many cases
to dress something up
vsto become
56 3.4

Make something look nicer or more attractive for a special event

is used for ordinary appearance improvement across situations
to glamorize
vsto become
  • US
12 5.8

To make someone or something look more attractive and exciting than they really are

describes honest enhancement rather than exaggerating reality
to dress up
vsto become
12 2.9

Make something look better than it really is

describes genuine improvement to appearance without misleading effect
to beautify
vsto become
9 3.2

To make a place or person more attractive by adding decorations like paint

aims broadly to improve looks or make something more attractive
to transfigure
vsto become
  • Literature
4 8.2

To change a person or thing so they look more beautiful and spiritual

refers to normal enhancement for attractiveness without dramatic change
to prettify
vsto become
1 5.0

Make something look more attractive, often only on the surface

offers general enhancement rather than only surface decoration
to glamourize
vsto become
  • UK
1 6.3

Make something seem more attractive than it really is

uses straightforward enhancement instead of romanticizing appearance
to aestheticize
vsto become
7.5

To make something look more beautiful or artistic

is about general attractiveness rather than artistic styling

Antonyms

to detract
32 5.9

Make something seem less good or less valuable

to disfigure
31 5.8

Spoil the appearance of a person or thing by damaging it

Idioms

to become one flesh
  • Literature
2 8.4

To join fully as a married couple, sharing their bodies and lives

to become a leper
  • Slur
9.6

To be avoided by other people because of something bad you did

Phrasal Verbs

to become of
58 4.6

What happens to a person or thing in the future

to become popular
22 2.4

Many people start to like or use something

to become extinct
15 4.5

Stop existing as a kind of animal, plant, or language

to become one with
13 7.3

To feel completely joined with something or someone, often in a calm way

to become prickly
7.6

To react angrily or feel hurt when criticized

to become flat
5.4

Lose their bubbles and taste less fresh

How Flattering

to enhance
424 4.0
to become
178 3.5
to suit
105 1.4

Surface Forms

become infinitive
becoming present participle
becomes third person singular
became past
become past participle

Morphology

become = come (semi-transparent) = be + come

The 'to suit / befit' sense is a metaphorical extension from 'come to be' (i.e., something 'comes' to a person's appearance), so the relation to 'be' + 'come' is not fully literal and may not be obvious to all learners.

Etymology

Become can also mean 'to suit' or 'look good on'. It comes from the same parts be- and come, giving the idea of 'coming to' someone, so if a color or dress 'becomes' you it 'comes to' you in the right way and fits or makes you look good.