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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.
VIDEO FOR WERE
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?
QUIZ
ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?
We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.
Question 1 of 8
Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?
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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.
Words nearby were
Wentworth scale, wen-yen, Wenzel, Wenzhou, wept, were, weren't, werewolf, werewolves, Werfel, Wergeland
Other definitions 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
How to use were in a sentence
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
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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