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were

[ wur; unstressed wer; British also wair ]

/ wɜr; unstressed wər; British also wɛər /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR were ON THESAURUS.COM

verb

a 2nd person singular pt. indicative, plural past indicative, and past subjunctive of be.

VIDEO FOR WERE

WATCH NOW: Here's A Little Reminder About "Were" Vs. "Was"

This man had a serious debate over using "were" vs. "was" ... at the pub. Makes sense. Did he figure it out?

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QUIZZES

TAKE THIS QUIZ TO SEE WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL PUNCTUATION!

Commas mark divisions in sentences. Periods end declarative sentences. Apostrophes show possession. Easy, right? Well, punctuation can get pretty tricky—fast. Think you got what it takes to be a punctuation expert? Take our quiz to prove it!

Question 1 of 10

Which of the options below is the best punctuation for the sentence? It__s your turn to pick the movie __ but your sister gets to pick the board game we _ re going to play.

Its your turn to pick the movie but your sister gets to pick the board game we’re going to play.

It’s your turn to pick the movie but your sister gets to pick the board game were going to play.

It’s your turn to pick the movie, but your sister gets to pick the board game we’re going to play.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of were

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

usage note for were

See subjunctive.

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH were

we're were where

Words nearby were

wentworth, wentworth scale, wenzel, wenzhou, wept, were, weren't, werewolf, werewolves, werfel, wergeland

Definition for were (2 of 3)

be

[ bee; unstressed bee, bi ]

/ bi; unstressed bi, bɪ /

verb (used without object), present singular 1st person am, 2nd are or (Archaic) art, 3rd is, present plural are; past singular 1st person was, 2nd were or (Archaic) wast or wert, 3rd was, past plural were; present subjunctive be; past subjunctive singular 1st person were, 2nd were or (Archaic) wert, 3rd were; past subjunctive plural were; past participle been; present participle be·ing.

to exist or live: Shakespeare's “To be or not to be” is the ultimate question.

to take place; happen; occur: The wedding was last week.

to occupy a place or position: The book is on the table.

to continue or remain as before: Let things be.

to belong; attend; befall: May good fortune be with you.

(used as a copula to connect the subject with its predicate adjective, or predicate nominative, in order to describe, identify, or amplify the subject): Martha is tall. John is president. This is she.

(used as a copula to introduce or form interrogative or imperative sentences): Is that right? Be quiet! Don't be facetious.

auxiliary verb, present singular 1st person am, 2nd are or (Archaic) art, 3rd is, present plural are; past singular 1st person was, 2nd were or (Archaic) wast or wert, 3rd was, past plural were; present subjunctive be; past subjunctive singular 1st person were, 2nd were or (Archaic) wert, 3rd were; past subjunctive plural were; past participle been; present participle be·ing.

(used with the present participle of another verb to form the progressive tense): I am waiting.

(used with the present participle or infinitive of the principal verb to indicate future action): She is visiting there next week. He is to see me today.

(used with the past participle of another verb to form the passive voice): The date was fixed. It must be done.

(used in archaic or literary constructions with some intransitive verbs to form the perfect tense): He is come. Agamemnon to the wars is gone.

Origin of be

before 900; Middle English been, Old English bēon (bēo- (akin to Old Frisian, Old High German bim, German bin, Old Saxon bium, biom (I) am, Old English, Old High German, Old Saxon būan, Old Norse būa reside, Latin fuī (I) have been, Greek phy- grow, become, Old Irish boí (he) was, Sanskrit bhávati (he) becomes, is, Lithuanian búti to be, OCS byti, Persian būd was)) + -n infinitive suffix. See am, is, are¹, was, were

usage note for be

See me.

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH be

be bee

Definition for were (3 of 3)

we're

[ weer ]

/ wɪər /

contraction of we are: We're happy to see you.

usage note for we're

See contraction.

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH we're

we're were where

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for were (1 of 7)

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 7)

Be

the chemical symbol for

beryllium

British Dictionary definitions for were (3 of 7)

BE

abbreviation for

bill of exchange

(in the US) Board of Education

Bachelor of Education

Bachelor of Engineering

British Dictionary definitions for were (4 of 7)

Bé

abbreviation for

Baumé

British Dictionary definitions for were (5 of 7)

we're

/ (wɪə) /

contraction of

we are

British Dictionary definitions for were (6 of 7)

be¹

/ (biː, unstressed bɪ) /

verb present singular 1st person am; 2nd person are; 3rd person is; present plural are; past singular 1st person was; 2nd person were; 3rd person was; past plural were; present participle being or past participle been (intr)

to have presence in the realm of perceived reality; exist; liveI think, therefore I am; not all that is can be understood

(used in the perfect or past perfect tenses only) to pay a visit; gohave you been to Spain?

to take place; occurmy birthday was last Thursday

(copula) used as a linking verb between the subject of a sentence and its noun or adjective complement or complementing phrase. In this case be expresses the relationship of either essential or incidental equivalence or identity (John is a man; John is a musician) or specifies an essential or incidental attribute (honey is sweet; Susan is angry). It is also used with an adverbial complement to indicate a relationship of location in space or time (Bill is at the office; the dance is on Saturday)

(takes a present participle) forms the progressive present tensethe man is running

(takes a past participle) forms the passive voice of all transitive verbs and (archaically) certain intransitive onesa good film is being shown on television tonight; I am done

(takes an infinitive) expresses intention, expectation, supposition, or obligationthe president is to arrive at 9.30; you are not to leave before I say so

(takes a past participle) forms the perfect or past perfect tense of certain intransitive verbs of motion, such as go or comethe last train is gone

be that as it may the facts concerning (something) are of no importance

Word Origin for be

Old English bēon; related to Old High German bim am, Latin fui I have been, Greek phuein to bring forth, Sanskrit bhavati he is

British Dictionary definitions for were (7 of 7)

be²

the internet domain name for

Belgium

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for were

Be

The symbol for the elementberyllium

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Scientific definitions for were

Be

The symbol for beryllium.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Idioms and Phrases with were

be

In addition to the idioms beginning with be

also see:

let be

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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