- verb
- first and third person singular past of be
verbwas (past tense)- occur; take place:"the exhibition will be in November" · "the opening event is on October 16" · "that was before the war"
- occupy a position in space:"the Salvation Army store was on his left" · "she was not at the window"Similar:be situatedbe locatedbe foundbe presentbe setbe positionedbe placedbe installed
- stay in the same place or condition:"he's a tough customer—let him be" · "she was here until about ten-thirty"
- attend:"the days when she was in school"
- come; go; visit:"he's from Missouri" · "I have just been to Thailand" · "the doctor's been here twice today"
- having the state, quality, identity, nature, role, etc., specified:"Amy was 91" · "the floor was uneven" · "I want to be a teacher" · "father was not well" · "it will be Christmas soon" · "“Be careful,” Mr. Carter said" · "his hair's brown"
- cost:"the tickets were $25"
- amount to:"one and one is two" · "two sixes are twelve"
- represent:"let A be a square matrix of order n"
- signify:"we were everything to each other"
- consist of; constitute:"the monastery was several three-story buildings"Similar:be equivalent tobe the equivalent ofbe tantamount tobe regarded asserve as
- informalsay:"when I got there, they were like “What are you doing here?”"
OriginOld English bēon, an irregular and defective verb, whose full conjugation derives from several originally distinct verbs. The forms am and is are from an Indo-European root shared by Latin sum and est. The forms was and were are from an Indo-European root meaning ‘remain’. The forms be and been are from an Indo-European root shared by Latin fui ‘I was’, fio ‘I become’, and Greek phuein ‘bring forth, cause to grow’. The origin of are is uncertain. Learn the difference between was and were in past tense and subjunctive mood, and when to use them in hypothetical, wishful, or conditional sentences. See examples, tips, and common mistakes to avoid. See more
To better see what we are up against when deciding when to use was and when to use were, let’s compare the past tense and subjunctive mood conjugations of to beside by side. Our table reveals something delightful: Whether you’re trying to use the simple … See more
A sure sign that you should use the subjunctive is when the word wishis used. A wish is the desire or hope for something that cannot or … See more
Use wereif the state of being you are describing is contrary to the current reality. This is true whenever a hypothetical situation is expressed, for example. The first sentence can be … See more
Explore further
WEBMay 13, 2016 · Learn the difference between I was and I were in English grammar, with examples and explanations. Find out when to use the subjunctive mood and how to …
WEBLearn the difference between if I was and if I were in past tense and subjunctive mood. See examples, rules and exercises to avoid common mistakes.
WEBLearn the difference between was and were, the past tense of (to) be, and when to use them in various contexts. Find out how to use them in the subjunctive mood, with there, …
WEBLearn how to use was and were correctly in different contexts and tenses. Find out when to use the subjunctive mood with if and wish and how to avoid common mistakes.
WEBOct 3, 2022 · Learn how to use was or were in if clauses depending on whether you have a real or unreal conditional sentence. Find out the difference between real and unreal …
WEBWas is the past simple of be and shows existence or identity. Learn how to use was in sentences with different subjects and meanings, and see translations in other languages.
WEBOther results All matches. was; Kilroy was here; That Was The Week That Was; There was an old woman; it was; wa-was; there is, are, was, were, etc. as/that was
Skip to content
