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.

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we're ² American  

[weer] / wɪər /

1. contraction of we are:

   We're happy to see you.

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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

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we're ² British  

/ wɪə /

contraction

1. we are

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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

"Even before the tumors were palpable, we see about a 40 or 50% blunting of this corticosterone rhythm," he said.

From Science Daily

Although a few participants using products that combined THC and CBD reported slight improvements, these changes were too small to be considered clinically meaningful.

From Science Daily

Bullfrogs were first brought to Brazil in 1935, with another introduction occurring in the 1970s.

From Science Daily

While most of the messages were positive, she added, “I have changed my phone number a few times since then. I like to keep my inner circle pretty close now.”

From Los Angeles Times

“Man, I did not do a very good job for our group tonight, but I thought our guys were able to overcome it,” McVay said.

From Los Angeles Times