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

Capgemini was one of the stocks swept up in a global selloff triggered by concerns about the threat posed by AI to a range of sectors including IT, software and data.

From The Wall Street Journal

When the Ford was sent to the Caribbean in the fall, it marked the first time in decades that there was no carrier in either U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal

What remained unclear was how these molecules formed in space in the first place.

From Science Daily

When Sussan Ley made history as the first woman to take the reins of Australia's Liberal Party, she insisted this was a pivotal moment for the party – or what was left of it anyway.

From BBC

Another 12-year-old victim, Kylie Smith, was "the light" of her family who had dreams of attending art school in the big city, her family said in a statement.

From BBC