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Synonyms

believe

American

[bih-leev] / bɪˈliv /

verb (used without object)

to have confidence in the truth, the existence, or the reliability of something, although without absolute proof that one is right in doing so.

Only if one believes in something can one act purposefully.

verb (used with object)

to have confidence or faith in the truth of (a positive assertion, story, etc.); give credence to.
to have confidence in the assertions of (a person).
to have a conviction that (a person or thing) is, has been, or will be engaged in a given action or involved in a given situation.

The fugitive is believed to be headed for the Mexican border.
to suppose or assume; understand (usually followed by a noun clause).

I believe that he has left town.

verb phrase

believe in
1. to be persuaded of the truth or existence of.
  
  to believe in Zoroastrianism; to believe in ghosts.
2. to have faith in the reliability, honesty, benevolence, etc., of.
  
  I can help only if you believe in me.

idioms

make believe. make.

believe British

/ bɪˈliːv /

verb

(tr; may take a clause as object) to accept (a statement, supposition, or opinion) as true

I believe God exists
(tr) to accept the statement or opinion of (a person) as true
to be convinced of the truth or existence (of)

to believe in fairies
(intr) to have religious faith
(when tr, takes a clause as object) to think, assume, or suppose

I believe that he has left already
(tr; foll by of; used with can, could, would, etc) to think that someone is able to do (a particular action)

I wouldn't have believed it of him

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

believe More Idioms

More idioms and phrases containing believe

Usage

Spelling tips for believe The word believe is hard to spell for two reasons. First, because it can be hard to remember the order of the i and e. Sometimes people want to spell it beleive, which is incorrect. Second, because it is pronounced [ bih-leev ], which makes you think there may be a second i in the word, as in bilieve. How to spell believe: The easiest way to remember how to spell believe is with the classic mnemonic device: “I before E, except after C." Believ[ing] is an important part of "being alive", which reminds you that the first syllable is be, not bi.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of believe

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English bileven, equivalent to bi- be- + leven, Old English (Anglian) gelēfan (cognate with Dutch gelooven, German glauben, Gothic galaubjan )

Explanation

If you believe something, you think it’s true. If you are easily duped then you might believe your little sister when she says a thief broke into the house and ate all your candy. Believe comes from old German words meaning to have trust. Belief doesn’t require proof, just acceptance. If you’re on a jury and the prosecution and defense present two different versions of what happened, you have to decide which side you believe. To believe can also mean having confidence. If you believe in me, it doesn’t mean that you think I’m real (unless I’m a ghost). It means you think I can do what I set out to do.

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Vocabulary lists containing believe

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

believe believes believed believing

In an explosive post on X that has been viewed 174 million times, he wrote that the people building AI “earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026

"They always express the confidence that they never did something wrong and we believe in that," he said.

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026

Many experts believe that estrangements between adult children and their parents are becoming an epidemic in the U.S., just like divorce in the 1970s.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026

“And I cannot believe that’s an 80-year-old woman.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

“Hesterfowl, I am an Usher of wandering souls. A servant to the Afterlife. I do not need all this”—he gestured—“to believe you have a gift.”

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

Given the actor's "Jujutsu Kaisen" role as a stoic, elite sorcerer that made his voice "highly recognisable in Europe", Ueno believes the verdict "will garner a lot of international interest".

From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026

Hansen believes that by targeting predators, he is helping rid the world of such an entity.

From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2026

Morningstar analyst Malik Ahmed Khan believes that Meta has an unique advantage in growing its Muse platform given its existing distribution with Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 26, 2026

The museum believes the woman in its portrait was a young enslaved woman from a Dutch colony in Guyana.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026

How, though, are we to explain the peculiar fact that della Porta both believes in and rejects the garlic/magnet antipathy?

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Briton Norris said he believed governing body the FIA should take such incidents more seriously because of the impact it has on other drivers who are blameless, and the cost in terms of damaged parts.

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026

A Tang dynasty empress is believed to have sent two to Japan in the seventh century.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

For decades, researchers believed that cells could not simply obtain cysteine from their surroundings.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 25, 2026

This dollar weakness would also cheapen foreign-exchange hedging costs, they believed, allowing foreign investors concerned about the U.S. dollar’s long-run status to bolster their foreign-exchange hedges, which in turn would amplify the buck’s weakness.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026

Mother believed the spirit was following her youngest daughters.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

But it’s hard to come away from her story believing that such a result would be attainable for others.

From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026

“I have a hard time believing that Chairman Warsh will have that much patience for above-target inflation,” said Stephen Stanley, chief U.S. economist at Santander Capital Markets.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 19, 2026

He picked it up believing it to be a ball, but then "took a look and thought this is a baby," he said in a statement.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

At least three other men allege she tricked them into believing she was pregnant over the past decade, according to court records.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026

I used to count on two people believing in me—Amma and Bedi Ma'am.

From "Born Behind Bars" by Padma Venkatraman

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023