believe
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.
believed
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past participleof believe.past participle
A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
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past tense formof believe.past tense
Used to describe completed actions or previous habitual actions.
believeverb (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.
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.
In 2024, the Columbia team showed that the amount of microplastics in commercially-available bottled drinking water was 10 to 100 times greater than previously believed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
“I believed in the country. I believed in the workforce. I believed in the Canadian market,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
The Worcestershire village of Inkberrow is believed to have inspired the show's fictional village of Ambridge, while The Old Bull Inn is closely associated with the show's pub, The Bull.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
After one of his patients died, Stephen Hibbs believed A.I. could have saved him—at least, at first.
From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026
I was not at all sure the sergeant believed what he was hearing.
From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo
