believe
Americanverb (used without object)
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believes,
present (3rd person singular)
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believed,
past participle, past
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believing
present participle
verb (used with object)
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believes,
present (3rd person singular)
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believed,
past participle, past
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believing
present participle
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to have confidence or faith in the truth of (a positive assertion, story, etc.); give credence to.
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to have confidence in the assertions of (a person).
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to have a conviction that (a person or thing) is, has been, or will be engaged in a given action or involved in a given situation.
The fugitive is believed to be headed for the Mexican border.
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to suppose or assume; understand (usually followed by a noun clause).
I believe that he has left town.
verb phrase
idioms
verb
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(tr; may take a clause as object) to accept (a statement, supposition, or opinion) as true
I believe God exists
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(tr) to accept the statement or opinion of (a person) as true
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to be convinced of the truth or existence (of)
to believe in fairies
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(intr) to have religious faith
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(when tr, takes a clause as object) to think, assume, or suppose
I believe that he has left already
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(tr; foll by of; used with can, could, would, etc) to think that someone is able to do (a particular action)
I wouldn't have believed it of him
Usage
Spelling tips for believe The word believe is hard to spell for two reasons. First, because it can be hard to remember the order of the i and e. Sometimes people want to spell it beleive, which is incorrect. Second, because it is pronounced [ bih-leev ], which makes you think there may be a second i in the word, as in bilieve. How to spell believe: The easiest way to remember how to spell believe is with the classic mnemonic device: “I before E, except after C." Believ[ing] is an important part of "being alive", which reminds you that the first syllable is be, not bi.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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believabilitynoun
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believablenessnoun
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believernoun
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believingnoun
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superbelievablenessnoun
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prebelieveverb
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believableadjective
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half-believedadjective
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half-believingadjective
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superbelievableadjective
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well-believedadjective
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believablyadverb
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believinglyadverb
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superbelievablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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believesimple
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believessimple
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have believedperfect
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has believedperfect
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am believingprogressive
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are believingprogressive
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is believingprogressive
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have been believingperfect progressive
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has been believingperfect progressive
Past
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believedsimple
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had believedperfect
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was believingprogressive
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were believingprogressive
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had been believingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of believe
First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English bileven, equivalent to bi- be- + leven, Old English (Anglian) gelēfan (cognate with Dutch gelooven, German glauben, Gothic galaubjan )
Explanation
If you believe something, you think it’s true. If you are easily duped then you might believe your little sister when she says a thief broke into the house and ate all your candy. Believe comes from old German words meaning to have trust. Belief doesn’t require proof, just acceptance. If you’re on a jury and the prosecution and defense present two different versions of what happened, you have to decide which side you believe. To believe can also mean having confidence. If you believe in me, it doesn’t mean that you think I’m real (unless I’m a ghost). It means you think I can do what I set out to do.
Vocabulary lists containing believe
Spelling Practice, Unit 3
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Spelling Practice 1, Unit 4
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Spelling Practice 2, Unit 4
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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.
See Examples For:
“I believe artificial intelligence will be the destruction of the human race,” she said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
Officers believe the driver fell asleep at the wheel.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
Oxford Economics analysts said they no longer believe that a formal U.S.-Iran deal is in the cards.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 16, 2026
Researchers believe the shock "fizzles" after reaching the outer boundary of a bubble created by gas that the doomed star had previously expelled.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026
“Miss ten Boom,” the officer began in excellent Dutch, “I have a few questions I believe you can help me with.”
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Ex-Premier League winger Andros Townsend believes the Gunners will find it hard to replicate their 2025-26 achievement because of the competitive nature of the Premier League.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
In an email, a Netflix spokesperson said it is eliminating roles because the company believes it can operate more strategically and efficiently in its games business.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
Even if you deal with what he calls “legitimate” platforms, he said he believes you should be ready to accept a 100% loss as an accredited investor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
But Dan Plumley, senior lecturer in sport finance at Loughborough University in the UK, believes FSG have no immediate plans to cede complete control.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
He believes that no creature large enough to be seen by the naked eye is generated spontaneously—not even a fly.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
She said her nan's conservatory "had a lot of plastic" which she believed took the brunt of a lot of the heat and flames.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
“Like the thousands of people who have reached out since this tragedy to share their own experiences, he believed that the system had failed him and destroyed his life,” his lawyer said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
"It's believed that the lifetime of a proton is longer than the lifespan of the universe," Lewis said.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026
It was Straus who believed legal action might keep agriculture on the peninsula and suggested the Nimans consult an attorney.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
A weary President Lincoln was doing his best to fight for the future of the country that Benjamin Franklin had so believed in.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
Mark Cuban had bowed out of the bidding, believing the Dodgers were not worth even $1 billion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
It simply gives me a stopping point before I begin believing every peach, pickle and pastry belongs to the plan.
From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026
Fire had been eyeing Lewandowski for a decade, believing they could convince him to come to America, especially with the large Polish community in Chicago.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
The meaning of the geometric shapes and animal outlines remains a mystery, with some believing they had ritual astronomical functions, according to UNESCO, which declared the area a World Heritage site in 1994.
From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 2026
Again, the argument would seem to be that I cannot prove that Mont Blanc is 4000 metres high, but believing it, on the authority of a map, has ‘proved to pay’.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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.
