believing
IdiomsExplanation
The act of accepting something as the truth is believing. For many kids, believing in the Tooth Fairy is an important part of childhood — not to mention an excellent source of cash! Have you ever heard the phrase "seeing is believing"? This basically means that if you witness something in person, you're more likely to accept the fact that it's real or true. To believe is to trust in this truth. And for many people, believing isn't about having proof — it's about accepting something as true even without seeing it. Most religions, for example, emphasize the importance of believing in a higher power.
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.
“Like my parents, I never gave up. … Never stopped believing in the beacon-light goodness of California and thankfully, neither did you.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2026
Investors are clearly pleased, believing that Ford will capitalize on growing power demand, mainly because of the boom in AI data center building.
From Barron's • Jun. 3, 2026
Her pain was so bad at one point in her late teens that doctors took out her perfectly healthy appendix, believing it was the source of her agony.
From BBC • Jun. 1, 2026
PARIS—Jannik Sinner landed in Paris last week believing he was safe from his biggest rival.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026
His silence on the slavery question was strategic, believing as he did that slavery was a cancer on the body politic of America that could not at present be removed without killing the patient.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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.
