was
Americanverb
verb
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the past tense (indicative mood) of be 1
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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.
Was it so people would see the band was more than their biggest hit or to send audiences off humming and happy?
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026
Appeared in the June 8, 2026, print edition as 'How the WSJ’s Best Companies for The Future Ranking Was Created'.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
"Was it a way to create the conditions for a face-to-face meeting or a way not to set up a face-to-face meeting? I think it was the second."
From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026
"Was grandpa a Nazi?" asked the headlines on news stories across Germany.
From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026
Was I the only one who had screwed this up?
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
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.
