'twere

American  

[twur, twer] / twɜr, twər /

1. contraction of it were.

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’twere British  

/ twə, twɜː /

contraction

1. it were

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Usage

See contraction.

Example Sentences

She consents to admit Ophelia only after Polonius’ death when she’s advised by Horatio that “’Twere good she were spoken with, for she may strew/Dangerous conjectures in ill-breeding minds.”

From Los Angeles Times

Their purpose, he tells them, is to “hold, as ’twere, the mirror up to nature” and expose “the very age and body of the time”.

From The Guardian

However the game plays out, what is clear, to paraphrase a famous Englishman, is if it were done when ’tis done, then ’twere well it were done amicably — and not too quickly.

From New York Times

In the role of Macbeth, Jack Stehlin the actor instructs his assassins that “’twere well it were done quickly.”

From Los Angeles Times

And sometimes rejecting the whole popcorn versus statuary dichotomy results in both. 20th Century Fox’s hopes for “Hidden Figures” twere initially restrained, both in terms of box office success and awards potential. But an early screening for African American moviegoers met with  such enthusiasm that the studio decided to see how the movie played with a crowd in the middle of the country.

From Los Angeles Times