Showing results for "were"

• an inflection of be.

Jump To:

• were
  were

  verb

  a second person singular past indicative; first, second, and third person plural past indicative; and past subjunctive of be.
• we're
  we're

  contraction of we are:

were

¹ American  

[wur, wer, wair] / wɜr, wər, wɛər /

verb

1. a second person singular past indicative; first, second, and third person plural past indicative; and past subjunctive of be.

---

we're ² American  

[weer] / wɪər /

1. contraction of we are:

   We're happy to see you.

---

were ¹ British  

/ wɜː, wə /

verb

1. 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

---

we're ² British  

/ wɪə /

contraction

1. we are

---

Grammar

See subjunctive.

Usage

See contraction.

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

Etymology

Origin of were

First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English wǣre past subjunctive, wǣre 2nd-person singular past and wǣron 2nd-person plural past of wesan “to be”; cognate with Dutch, German waren, Danish var. See was

Example Sentences

Two occupants of her Nissan Altima were taken to a trauma center.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 3, 2026

The decision sparked chaotic scenes and plastic bottles were thrown on to the pitch by furious Croatia fans as their World Cup dreams were ended in the cruellest fashion.

From BBC • Jul. 3, 2026

The bees were never taught to move the ball beneath the flower.

From Science Daily • Jul. 3, 2026

It was unclear which AI tools were used to generate the real-time video chats with Maria.

From Barron's • Jul. 3, 2026

“You were right, Rue—all three of them have Apple Watches,” I say.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold