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

Grande was previously married to real estate agent Dalton Gomez, while Slater had been married to psychologist Lilly Jay, his high-school sweetheart with whom he shares a child.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026

Jeremy Parsons, Artemis program manager, voiced confidence that despite any concern over Blue Origin's readiness, the mission was on track.

From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026

There was no public announcement of a rule or metric change at Spotify in March.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026

The first point of Williams' return was served by Mboko and ended in her partner sending a volley out without the American hitting a shot.

From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026

When Joan of Arc was born in France in 1412, her country had been fighting England for seventy-five years.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly