was
[ wuhz, woz; unstressed wuhz ]
/ wʌz, wɒz; unstressed wəz /
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verb
first and third person singular past indicative of be.
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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
Words nearby was
war whoop, Warwick, Warwickshire, wary, war zone, was, wasabi, Wasatch Range, wash, washable, wash-and-wear
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
How to use was in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for was
was
/ (wɒz, unstressed wəz) /
verb
the past tense (indicative mood) of be 1
not standard a form of the subjunctive mood used in place of were, esp in conditional sentencesif the film was to be with you, would you be able to process it?
Word Origin for was
Old English wæs, from wesan to be; related to Old Frisian, Old High German was, Old Norse var
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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