Search and compare thousands of words and phrases in American Sign Language (ASL). The largest collection online.
How to sign: have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun)
"John is rich"; "This is not a good answer";
Within this category: abound, accept, account, account for, act, answer, appear, balance, beat, begin, begin, belong, belong, belong, be well, breathe, buy, clean, cohere, come in for, come in handy, compact, compare, confuse, connect, consist, consist, contain, contain, continue, cost, count, cover, cut, cut across, deck, depend, deserve, disagree, distribute, diverge, draw, end, fall, fall, feel, figure, fit, gape, go, gravitate, hail, hang, head, hold, hoodoo, hum, impend, incarnate, iridesce, jumble, kill, lend, let go, lie, litter, loiter, look, look, lubricate, make, make sense, measure, mope, object, osculate, owe, pass, pay, point, press, promise, prove, put out, rage, range, rank, rate, recognize, relate, remain, represent, rest, run, run into, rut, seem, seethe, sell, sell, sell, shine, shine, sparkle, specify, squat, stagnate, stagnate, stand, stand, stand by, stay, stay, stick, stink, subtend, suffer, suffer, suit, swing, tend, test, total, translate, transplant, trim, underlie, want, wash, wind, work
How to sign: be identical to; be someone or something
"The president of the company is John Smith"; "This is my house";
Similiar / Same: is, am, are, being
How to sign: the English word "be," used in ASL to emphasize the exact English phrasing
"my favorite song is Let it Be, by the Beatles", "the past participle of 'be' is 'been'";
How to sign: to inherently be, to have as an inseparable quality
"honesty is the best policy", "freedom is precious";
How to sign: an imperative command to demonstrate some quality or role
"Be nice", "Be a leader," "Be quick!";
How to sign: have an existence, be extant
"Is there a God?";
Similiar / Same: am, is, are, exist
Within this category: coexist, come, distribute, dwell, endanger, flow, kick around, preexist, prevail
How to sign: be identical or equivalent to
"One dollar equals 1,000 rubles these days!";
Within this category: equate, match, represent, translate
How to sign: have life, be alive
"Our great leader is no more"; "My grandfather lived until the end of war";
Similiar / Same: live
