were

[wur, wer, wair] / wɜr, wər, wɛər /

VERB

exist

Synonyms

STRONG

abide act breathe continue do endure hold inhabit last live move obtain persist prevail remain rest stand stay subsist survive

WEAK

be alive go on have being have place

Antonyms

STRONG

cease depart die discontinue forsake give up go halt idle leave lose pass quit refuse reject stop

VERB

happen

Synonyms

STRONG

befall occur transpire

WEAK

come about come to pass take place

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.

See Examples For:

were

The successful flotation raised about $8.5 billion for the 7% of shares that were offered although the over-allotment of shares, allows underwriters to increase that to around $10 billion.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026

For most of the last five years, Reid Mottet’s squarely four-figure follower counts on Instagram and TikTok were too small to interest big brands in her services as a momfluencer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

While LGBTQ+ voices were far from silent, especially in a city like New York, the idea that their perspectives could inform broader conversations was not as widespread as it has become.

From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026

“As a result of that, there were a lot of whites who didn’t like that—at all.”

From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026

Gertie’s father didn’t approve of Hans because he was enlisted in the US Marines and there were too many pitfalls to military life.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly