The difference between Be and Equal

When used as verbs, be means to exist, whereas equal means to be equal to, to have the same value as.


Equal is also noun with the meaning: a person or thing of equal status to others.

Equal is also adjective with the meaning: the same in all respects.

check bellow for the other definitions of Be and Equal

  1. Be as a verb (intransitive, now, literary):

    To exist; to have real existence.

  2. Be as a verb (with {{m, there):

    , or dialectally , as }} To exist.

    Examples:

    "There is just one woman in town who can help us.'' (or, dialectally:) ''It is just one woman in town who can help us."

  3. Be as a verb (intransitive):

    To occupy a place.

    Examples:

    "The cup is on the table."

  4. Be as a verb (intransitive):

    To occur, to take place.

    Examples:

    "When will the meeting be?"

  5. Be as a verb (intransitive, in perfect tenses, without predicate):

    Examples:

    "The postman has been today, but my tickets have still not yet come."

    "I have been to Spain many times."

    "Moscow, huh? I've never been, but it sounds fascinating."

  6. Be as a verb (transitive, copulative):

    Examples:

    "Knowledge is bliss."

    "Hi, I’m Jim."

  7. Be as a verb (transitive, copulative, mathematics):

    Examples:

    "3 times 5 is fifteen."

  8. Be as a verb (transitive, copulative):

    Examples:

    "François Mitterrand was president of France from 1981 to 1995."

  9. Be as a verb (transitive, copulative):

    Examples:

    "The sky is blue."

  10. Be as a verb (transitive, copulative):

    Examples:

    "The sky is a deep blue today."

  11. Be as a verb (transitive, auxiliary):

    Examples:

    "The dog was drowned by the boy."

  12. Be as a verb (transitive, auxiliary):

    Examples:

    "The woman is walking."

    "I shall be writing to you soon."

    "We liked to chat while we were eating."

  13. Be as a verb (archaic, auxiliary):

  14. Be as a verb (transitive, auxiliary):

    Examples:

    "I am to leave tomorrow."

    "I would drive you, were I to obtain a car."

  15. Be as a verb (transitive, copulative):

    Examples:

    "This building is three hundred years old."

    "I am 75 kilograms."

    "He’s about 6 feet tall."

  16. Be as a verb (transitive, copulative, with a cardinal numeral):

    Examples:

    "I’m 20.'' (= ''I am 20 years old.'')"

  17. Be as a verb (with a {{glossary, dummy pronoun, dummy subject):

    }}

    Examples:

    "It is almost eight.'' (= ''It is almost eight o’clock.'')"

    "It’s 8:30'' [read ''eight-thirty''] ''in Tokyo."

    "What time is it there? It’s night."

  18. Be as a verb (With {{m, since):

    }}

    Examples:

    "It has been three years since my grandmother died.'' (similar to ''My grandmother died three years ago,'' but emphasizes the intervening period)"

    "It had been six days since his departure, when I received a letter from him."

  19. Be as a verb (often, impersonal, with {{m, it):

    as a }}

    Examples:

    "It is hot in Arizona, but it is not usually humid."

    "Why is it so dark in here?"

  20. Be as a verb ([[be#English-dynamic_conjugation, dynamic/lexical "be"]], especially in progressive tenses, conjugated non-suppletively in the present tense, see usage notes):

    To exist or behave in a certain way.

    Examples:

    "What do we do?" "We be ourselves."

    "Why is he being nice to me?"

  21. Be as a verb (AAVE, Caribbean, auxiliary, not conjugated):

    To tend to do, often do;

  1. Equal as an adjective (not comparable):

    The same in all respects.

    Examples:

    "'Equal conditions should produce equal results."

    "All men are created equal."

  2. Equal as an adjective (mathematics, not comparable):

    Exactly identical, having the same value.

    Examples:

    "All right angles are equal."

  3. Equal as an adjective (obsolete):

    Fair, impartial.

  4. Equal as an adjective (comparable):

    Adequate; sufficiently capable or qualified.

    Examples:

    "This test is pretty tough, but I think I'm equal to it."

  5. Equal as an adjective (obsolete):

    Not variable; equable; uniform; even.

    Examples:

    "an equal movement"

  6. Equal as an adjective (music):

    Intended for voices of one kind only, either all male or all female; not mixed.

  1. Equal as a verb (mathematics):

    To be equal to, to have the same value as; to correspond to.

    Examples:

    "Two plus two equals four."

  2. Equal as a verb:

    To be equivalent to; to match

    Examples:

    "David equaled the water level of the bottles, so they now both contain exactly 1 liter."

  3. Equal as a verb (informal):

    To have as its consequence.

    Examples:

    "Losing this deal equals losing your job."

    "Might does not equal right."

  1. Equal as a noun:

    A person or thing of equal status to others.

    Examples:

    "We're all equals here."

    "This beer has no equal."

  2. Equal as a noun (obsolete):

    State of being equal; equality.

    Examples:

    "rfquotek Spenser"