believe
verb (used without object)
to have confidence in the truth, the existence, or the reliability of something, although without absolute proof that one is right in doing so.
have believed
-
present perfectof believe.present perfect
Used to describe actions that started in the past and continue into or have direct relevance to the present.
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.
But Spain’s Supreme Court recently weakened that border enforcement, and many migrants seem to have believed this means that if they crossed the border they could take their chances on asylum.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
Lush said that when she and Dennis first started the event 30 years ago, "if someone had told us it would have lasted five years, I would not have believed that".
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
“Younger me would have believed it more than now,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
Equally, you might not have believed her for a second, and thought she was hamming up her pain because it's all gone wrong.
From BBC ● May 31, 2026
She was so pretty, I might have believed she really could spin straw to gold, but I knew that she couldn’t.
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
