Substituting for become starts with what comes after it. Before an adjective, get, grow, turn and go each mark the change differently: get tired, grow old, turn pale, go bad. Before a noun, turn into or develop into does the work. And in the older sense heard in That color becomes you, the plain substitutes are suit, flatter and look good on.
Best synonyms for become
Reach a state or condition
- get
- grow
- turn
- go
- fall
Change into something else
- turn into
- develop into
- grow into
- evolve into
- change into
- transform into
- morph into
Look good on or be right for
- suit
- flatter
- look good on
- befit
Which synonym should you use?
| If you mean… | Best alternatives |
|---|---|
| an everyday change in mood or comfort | get |
| a slow change over time | grow |
| a sudden change of color or mood | turn |
| something spoiling or failing | go |
| a tadpole becoming a frog | turn into, change into, transform into |
| gradual change into something new | grow into, develop into, evolve into |
| a color or cut that looks good | suit, flatter, look good on |
| behavior right for a rank | befit |
Become synonyms explained
1. Get
The most casual choice here, and the one that fits the widest range of adjectives and participles: get tired, get better, get lost. In American English its past participle is gotten, as in It has gotten colder. Unlike grow, it says nothing about how slowly the change happened.
Best used when: You are speaking or writing casually about a change in mood, weather, or health.
It gets dark by five o'clock in December.
2. Grow
Suggests that the change builds gradually, so it pairs with adjectives that can increase: grow tired, grow louder, grow old. It reads as more written than get. It cannot stand in when the change is abrupt or complete: go bankrupt is the idiom, not grow bankrupt.
Best used when: A feeling or condition intensifies a little at a time.
The crowd grew restless as the delay stretched past an hour.
3. Turn
Marks a noticeable switch, often of color, weather, mood, or age: turn red, turn sour, turn forty. It takes the adjective directly. Turn to belongs with nouns (turn to ice), and turn into is the other noun option.
Best used when: A visible or sudden change of color, temperature, or attitude.
Correct: Her face turned pale when she read the letter.
Incorrect: Her face turned to pale when she read the letter.
Turn takes an adjective directly, with no to, as in the first sentence. Turn to is followed by a noun, as in turn to stone.
4. Go
Fits changes for the worse, usually into a state that is hard to undo: go bad, go wrong, go blind, go bankrupt. Compared with turn, it puts more weight on the result than on the moment of switching. It sounds odd with pleasant states, so say get happy rather than go happy.
Best used when: Food spoils, plans fail, or a person loses a sense or fortune.
The milk went sour after two days on the counter.
5. Fall
Works with only a small set of adjectives: fall ill, fall asleep, fall silent. It describes a change that happens to someone rather than one they work toward. With ordinary adjectives, use get instead of fall, as in get angry, not fall angry.
Best used when: Someone drops into sleep, illness, or silence.
He fell asleep before the second act began.
6. Turn into
The all-purpose replacement before a noun: the subject ends up as a different thing, often quickly or unexpectedly. It has no sense of growth along a path, unlike develop into. It does not suit a career or role, where become stays.
Best used when: One thing is replaced by a different thing, as in a story or a science lesson.
The tadpole turned into a frog by July.
7. Grow into
Gradual, with the added idea of reaching a size or fit that was once too big, so it suits roles, habits, and bodies: grow into the job. It is more personal than develop into and less technical.
Best used when: A person slowly becomes capable of a role they started out unready for.
She grew into the role of team lead within a year.
8. Develop into
Describes a step-by-step process and suits things that progress: a seedling, a skill, a minor problem. More neutral and technical than grow into, and unsuitable for abrupt changes.
Best used when: A small beginning matures or worsens through stages.
What began as a cough developed into pneumonia.
9. Transform into
Stronger than turn into: the change is complete and obvious, often the result of effort or something dramatic. It belongs more in written prose than in casual talk.
Best used when: A place, a person, or a business is changed completely.
The old warehouse was transformed into a climbing gym.
10. Suit
Replaces the dated become in That color becomes you. It also covers styles, schedules, and personalities, with the person as its object. Plainer than flatter, it claims a good fit rather than an enhancement.
Best used when: A color, haircut, or style looks right on someone.
That haircut really suits you.
11. Flatter
Goes further than suit: the item makes the person look better than usual, by hiding flaws or showing strengths. The subject is clothing, color, or lighting, and the person is the object.
Best used when: A cut, shade, or kind of light improves how someone looks.
Soft lighting flatters almost everyone.
12. Befit
Formal, and about conduct, language, or dress being right for a rank or occasion, not about looks. It is transitive, so the object follows directly: not befit for.
Best used when: Saying that behavior is or is not appropriate to someone's position.
Correct: Such language does not befit a judge.
Incorrect: Such language does not befit for a judge.
Befit takes its object directly, with no for, as in the first sentence.
FAQ
Can I say turn into a teacher instead of become a teacher?
Not in most sentences. Turn into suggests a transformation, so turn into a teacher sounds like magic or a joke. For a career or role, keep become, or use grow into if the person slowly fills the position.