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Synonyms

believe

American

[bih-leev] / bɪˈliv /

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.

Only if one believes in something can one act purposefully.

verb (used with object)

to have confidence or faith in the truth of (a positive assertion, story, etc.); give credence to.
to have confidence in the assertions of (a person).
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.
to suppose or assume; understand (usually followed by a noun clause).

I believe that he has left town.

verb phrase

believe in
1. to be persuaded of the truth or existence of.
  
  to believe in Zoroastrianism; to believe in ghosts.
2. to have faith in the reliability, honesty, benevolence, etc., of.
  
  I can help only if you believe in me.

idioms

make believe. make.

believe British

/ bɪˈliːv /

verb

(tr; may take a clause as object) to accept (a statement, supposition, or opinion) as true

I believe God exists
(tr) to accept the statement or opinion of (a person) as true
to be convinced of the truth or existence (of)

to believe in fairies
(intr) to have religious faith
(when tr, takes a clause as object) to think, assume, or suppose

I believe that he has left already
(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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

believe More Idioms

More idioms and phrases containing believe

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

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

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.

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Vocabulary lists containing believe

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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:

believe believes believed believing

Some Western growers believe Chinese growers have been mixing illicitly obtained protected varieties with other blueberry plants, making it harder to enforce intellectual-property claims.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

She says, “I can’t believe you can put a sentence together, let alone a paragraph. I love the book.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026

Diametrically opposed to the doomers are the accelerationists, who believe in technology's advancement, its inevitability and its fundamental benefit for society -- and who also make their fortunes on its success.

From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026

"It must have been the length of a bus or small train. I couldn't believe how big it was."

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

Being ten that summer, he was even more willing to believe in miracles than I was.

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck

Although I believe the VP and this foreign crypto platform are real, my personal banker believes the individuals involved are scammers.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026

Tarlov believes the key to the success of “The Five” is the camaraderie the panel has off-camera.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026

Shortly after, a current Anthropic researcher took to X to confirm the sentiment, adding he believes the risk the human race will go extinct in the next 10 years is higher than 10%.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026

Like Altman and Hassabis, he believes that rules set by the industry itself would be insufficient.

From Barron's ● Sep. 13, 2026

Joey is devout; she certainly believes that God has a plan for her.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

McDonald told Newsnight he was "sad that they've gone" but insisted those experts still believed "Lucy Letby is innocent".

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

OpenAI was founded in part because its backers, including first investor Elon Musk, feared that AI's development would end up in the hands of Google, which they believed could not be trusted with the technology.

From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026

It’s commonly believed that a divided government is good for stocks because business thrives when Washington’s hands are tied.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

They see the economy as more vulnerable to a steep slowdown in growth than commonly believed.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026

He merely hid his appearance and never opened up to anyone and believed that if he ever died, he’d belong in a realm of eternal suffering.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

There’s only four weeks story time between Season 1 and 2 and, personally, I turned 50 this year and no one’s believing that Gordon is still 42.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

Despite developing the machine with scientists, Ernetti’s claims of what he saw — including Christ’s crucifixion — quickly became sensationalized fodder, with some believing in Ernetti’s discovery and others dismissing it as a hoax.

From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2026

In that case, those believing in lower rates would be correct, but for a difficult reason — a major financial crash followed by recession or depression.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 4, 2026

Chelsea appointed Xabi Alonso as manager, believing he had the profile and authority to command the dressing room.

From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026

Some of the men were dangerously close to believing they would never get out of the ice at all.

From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023