were
[ wur; unstressed wer; British also wair ]
/ wɜr; unstressed wər; British also wɛər /
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verb
a second person singular past indicative; first, second, and third person plural past indicative; and past subjunctive of be.
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Origin of were
First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English wǣre past subjunctive, wǣre past indicative second person singular and wǣron past indicative plural of wesan “to be”; cognate with Dutch, German waren, Danish var. See was
grammar notes for were
See subjunctive.
Definition for were (2 of 2)
we're
[ weer ]
/ wɪər /
contraction of we are:We're happy to see you.
usage note for we're
See contraction.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for were
British Dictionary definitions for were (1 of 2)
were
/ (wɜː, unstressed wə) /
verb
the plural form of the past tense (indicative mood) of be and the singular form used with you. It is also used as a subjunctive, esp in conditional sentences
Word Origin for were
Old English wērun, wæron past tense plural of wesan to be; related to Old Norse vera, Old Frisian weria, Old High German werōn to last
usage for were
Were, as a remnant of the past subjunctive in English, is used in formal contexts in clauses expressing hypotheses (if he were to die, she would inherit everything), suppositions contrary to fact (if I were you, I would be careful), and desire (I wish he were there now). In informal speech, however, was is often used instead
British Dictionary definitions for were (2 of 2)
we're
/ (wɪə) /
contraction of
we are
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