was

American  

[wuhz, woz, wuhz] / wʌz, wɒz, wəz /

verb

1. first and third person singular past indicative of be.

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was British  

/ wɒz, wəz /

verb

1. the past tense (indicative mood) of be 1

2. 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?

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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; wassail

Example Sentences

Spot gold was 0.7% higher at $4,824.21 a troy ounce.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

No structures have been destroyed, but one resident told The Times that his home was damaged in the fire.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026

He said he ran to save a trailer that was ablaze and even caught fire himself before firefighters doused him and the vehicle.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026

In April, five days after Trump’s executive order was issued, The Metals Co. of Vancouver, British Columbia, applied for permits to conduct deep-sea exploration and mining in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 17, 2025

The GPS was now suggesting she follow this sort of Jeep rut.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith