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

“It was important to me to come here, to close this circle. A lot of people, their lives stopped in this place,” he said, his voice turning deep with emotion.

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While Hamas could technically cease to exist, the Muslim Brotherhood — a sprawling political movement throughout the region from which Hamas was born — could end up reviving the group in another form.

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It was an early sign that she was meant to be an actor.

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“Looking back, Al admits the love of his life was Diane who he’s always called an ‘amazing woman,’ ” a source close to the 85-year-old actor told the Daily Mail.

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Coming into the game, Riley said that Jackson was unlikely to play “outside of a near catastrophe.”

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