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; wassail

Example Sentences

“Corporal Jarvis’ deployment of the less-lethal bean bag shotgun at that distance was in accordance with his training and reasonable under the circumstances,” the report states.

From Los Angeles Times

Pike testified that it was not his job “to overstep and tell him what to do. He earned that rank.”

From Los Angeles Times

The renter called the group to help check on the noises he was hearing, and they soon confirmed it was Rose and her new cubs.

From Los Angeles Times

The deceleration was driven largely by a 9.2% plunge in energy prices after the government rolled out subsidies to help households cope with rising living costs.

From The Wall Street Journal

This “speed bump” was implemented in September 2022 when the yuan faced renewed downward pressure amid a surging dollar and a slowing Chinese economy.

From The Wall Street Journal