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 three weeks into the conflict, Matejka and team were advising clients that oversold signals had begun to appear and their conviction in that view appears to be solidifying.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 13, 2026

Deliveries in China were down 15% to 548,700 vehicles, but Volkswagen said it recorded a slight gain in market share.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

For the first time in this type of research, they also included data from twins who were raised apart.

From Science Daily • Apr. 13, 2026

Washington and Tehran were unable to agree during the 21-hour discussion on demands for the Islamic Republic to dismantle its nuclear program.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 13, 2026

And so, as they drove, Kathy couldn’t even guess where they were going.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith