believe
Americanverb (used without object)
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believes,
present (3rd person singular)
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believed,
past participle, past
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believing
present participle
verb (used with object)
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believes,
present (3rd person singular)
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believed,
past participle, past
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believing
present participle
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to have confidence or faith in the truth of (a positive assertion, story, etc.); give credence to.
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to have confidence in the assertions of (a person).
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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.
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to suppose or assume; understand (usually followed by a noun clause).
I believe that he has left town.
verb phrase
idioms
verb
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(tr; may take a clause as object) to accept (a statement, supposition, or opinion) as true
I believe God exists
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(tr) to accept the statement or opinion of (a person) as true
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to be convinced of the truth or existence (of)
to believe in fairies
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(intr) to have religious faith
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(when tr, takes a clause as object) to think, assume, or suppose
I believe that he has left already
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(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
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
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believabilitynoun
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believablenessnoun
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believernoun
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believingnoun
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superbelievablenessnoun
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prebelieveverb
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believableadjective
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half-believedadjective
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half-believingadjective
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superbelievableadjective
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well-believedadjective
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believablyadverb
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believinglyadverb
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superbelievablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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believesimple
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believessimple
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have believedperfect
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has believedperfect
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am believingprogressive
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are believingprogressive
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is believingprogressive
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have been believingperfect progressive
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has been believingperfect progressive
Past
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believedsimple
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had believedperfect
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was believingprogressive
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were believingprogressive
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had been believingperfect progressive
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.
Vocabulary lists containing believe
Spelling Practice, Unit 3
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Spelling Practice 1, Unit 4
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Spelling Practice 2, Unit 4
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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:
They believe AI is too dangerous and releasing the underlying code would wreak havoc, and that AI models must instead be developed and released in a controlled fashion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
It may instead depend on persuading consumers that the food they eat, the medicine they take and the cosmetics they use were made according to rules they believe in.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026
The BH and asterix is for black hole star -- and the number one suggests they believe there are more out there.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
The bakery said: "Every shop that reopens means jobs restored, a unit back in use and footfall returning to the high street, which we believe serves everyone's interests: ours, theirs and the wider local economy's."
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
Month after month the Free Dutch broadcasts could only urge us to wait, to have courage, to believe in the counter-offensive which must surely some day be mounted.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Ellison believes the proposed Warner merger is the best way to save Hollywood, saying the combination of two storied studios would strengthen not harm the film industry.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
Domino’s Pizza DPZ -0.88%decrease; down pointing triangle believes it has a solution to those endless debates over toppings, crust and extra cheese.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
The government has been clear that it believes an exemption for manslaughter convictions is an all or nothing approach – and could therefore require a large amount of prison capacity.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
Licence believes this change in England's relationship with the papacy probably took place after Harold became king in January 1066.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026
He believes these people to be in the majority in Germany at the present time but feels they are coerced into following Hitler's methods and program.
From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple
Some law enforcement agencies are already using the gloves but it's believed that the planned ICE purchase would be the largest from Compliant Technologies to date.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
Nearly 60% said they believed that unlimited borrowing contributed at least in part to rising college costs.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026
If the CIA operated indirectly, often several steps removed from the artists who produced imaginative work in which they believed, it’s unclear how much credit—or blame—the agency deserved.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
The adult brain may have a greater ability to repair itself after injury or certain autoimmune diseases than scientists previously believed.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 12, 2026
Whether Leah truly believed or whether she kept up a false story to propel herself into the comfortable middle class cannot be known.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
The presenter, believing they were still on air, was not actively monitoring their phone and did not immediately respond to calls from people at the station who had noticed the error, the report said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
It simply gives me a stopping point before I begin believing every peach, pickle and pastry belongs to the plan.
From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026
She said she knew of people dying after believing anecdotes about unproven cancer treatment.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
Someone was using her name — and her state bar license number — to scam the man into believing she was representing him in his removal proceedings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
Do you remember I said I had stopped believing in love after Mara broke my heart?
From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
