was
Americanverb
verb
-
the past tense (indicative mood) of be 1
-
not_standard a form of the subjunctive mood used in place of were, esp in conditional sentences
if the film was to be with you, would you be able to process it?
Etymology
Origin of was
First recorded before 950; Middle English; Old English wæs, past tense singular of wesan “to be”; cognate with Old Frisian, Old High German, Gothic was, Old Norse var; cf. wassail
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.
Martin Mull was best known to audiences for playing comedic characters like Col.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026
“I think the fact that we made an album out of that, the fact that the event was documented required some inclusion, certainly, in the story,” Thayil tells Salon.
From Salon • Jun. 9, 2026
The woman reported the incident to the NFL, but the civil case was dismissed.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026
What was in the water in Park Forest, Illinois?
From Salon • Jun. 9, 2026
As a teenager, Joan was visited by three saints—Michael, Catherine, and Margaret—as she worked the fields of her small village in rural France.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
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.
