- an inflection of be.
were
1 Americanverb
verb
contraction
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
After reviewing the available literature, they identified six published reports covering five randomized controlled trials, in which participants received either creatine or a placebo without knowing which treatment they were taking.
From Science Daily • Jun. 30, 2026
Both Ferraris simply lacked pace and grip in Austria, and they were the only top team to do a three-stop strategy.
From BBC • Jun. 30, 2026
Two studies were judged to have a low risk of bias, while the remaining three raised some concerns, primarily related to participant assignment and missing data.
From Science Daily • Jun. 30, 2026
The first thing to point out is that their grid positions were not representative.
From BBC • Jun. 30, 2026
Many nations in the Pacific Ocean and Southeast Asia were either ruled or occupied by Great Britain, France, the Netherlands, and the United States.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.