Showing results for "was"

• an inflection of be.
• an inflection of be.

was

American  

[wuhz, woz, wuhz] / wʌz, wɒz, wəz /

verb

1. first and third person singular past indicative of be.

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was British  

/ 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?

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Etymology

Origin of was

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; cf. wassail

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

was

Professor Evelyn Collins was speaking two days after a court case highlighted mistakes made by the commission in its ruling on last month's planned parade by the Orange Order to Drumcree church in Portadown.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

Ross Lydell, spokesperson from the Civil Aviation Authority, said the growth in passenger numbers in Scotland was generally higher than across the UK as a whole.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

State-owned Prestwick Airport was also particularly busy with freight flights, seeing a near three-fold year-on-year increase in cargo volumes.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

The move was to prove controversial with businesses in The Ridings and residents of the tower blocks opposed to the plan.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

A few months later, Joan was captured by the English and held captive for more than a year.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly