human being
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1.0
- noun
- /ˈhjuːmən ˈbiːɪŋ/
- Every human being has the right to live freely and with dignity.
- a living human being
- an individual human being
- soul of a human being
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Watch on YouTubeI grasp myself as a human being as such, like you.
- I grasp myself as a human being as such, like you.
- You see, you're called a human being, not a human doing.
- I strongly think that every human being, first of all.
- Now that already tells us why a human being would need the virtues.
- Empathy is being concerned about the human being, not just their output.
- But you know, to see this in a human being was just so striking.
- You are not the same human being that you were.
- I chose you because you are the purest human being I've ever met.
- It's what we're instinctively drawn to as human beings, and that doesn't change.
- But, you know, human beings want to exhale.
- We want him to be a full human being who gets true love.
- Let's treat everybody like a human being, not really as an individual.
- Pretty much every human being has anxiety at some level.
Examples
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I just want your opinion as a human being.
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You're a beautiful human being who came full of gifts.
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But as a, as a human being, I let you down.
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You are not the same human being that you were.
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I want to be a better human being and be you.
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You know, being an interesting human being is a thing.
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What an incredible human being.
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And to be responsible for a single human being is to be responsible to all for all.
Academic text (1991) -
But you know, to see this in a human being was just so striking.
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You're a great human being and world's proud of you.
Synonyms
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1.0
A single human being, not an animal or a thing
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Any human being, male or female
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1.0
A person who walks upright and can think and speak
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase 'human being' is directly compositional: 'human' (a member of the human species) combined with 'being' (an individual life form) yields the straightforward meaning 'a person'. This is a literal, cross-linguistically common construction with no idiomatic shift, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily understand it.
Etymology
Human being joins human, meaning one of our kind, and being, meaning one who exists. The phrase creates a picture of a living person who exists and thinks, so it means 'a person'.