was

[wuhz, woz, wuhz]

verb

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

was

/ 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?

Word History and Origins

Origin of was¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of was¹

Old English wæs, from wesan to be; related to Old Frisian, Old High German was, Old Norse var

Example Sentences

The species name E. westraliensis honors Western Australia, the region where it was discovered.

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In addition to the presence of dust itself, the dust's composition was also surprising.

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Measuring about 1 to 3 meters in diameter, the asteroid was detected by the Catalina Sky Survey only a few hours after it had already passed by Earth.

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This effect was even stronger in mice whose mitochondria lacked uncoupling protein 1, suggesting that peroxisomes can step in when mitochondria lose their ability to produce heat.

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What they ended up discovering was that their supposed companion was allegedly more interested in their possessions than their time.

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