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• 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.

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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

By September, Comcast had discovered that users of these residential proxy networks were able to gain access to networks—even those running firewalls—and then jump from one device to another.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 18, 2026

People working for Netanyahu were told to focus messaging and social-media posts on the close relationship between the two men, a person familiar with the matter said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 18, 2026

To some market veterans, parts of the overhaul were overdue.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 18, 2026

The two men were never best friends or golfing buddies.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 18, 2026

“Grandma, what does that mean? And why didn’t you tell me that gold Flashes were a thing?”

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold