was

[wuhz, woz, wuhz] / wʌz, wɒz, wəz /

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.

His mistake was to try to destroy a man whose greatest nemesis was himself, and that singular, burning focus of Mozart’s earned him immortality regardless of what his haters threw at him.

From Salon • May 16, 2026

"It's one of my bedrock beliefs that our laws should be applied fairly, and I simply do not believe that was what happened in this case," he added.

From BBC • May 16, 2026

In Shaffer’s play and its adaptations, Mozart never knew that Salieri was undermining him while he was alive, and his music only achieved massive popularity after he died.

From Salon • May 16, 2026

Beni Baningime was invalided out of the action, and in rapid fire Michael Steinwender, Stephen Kingsley and Alexandros Kyziridis went down.

From BBC • May 16, 2026

A personal transformation—that was right up the ancestors’ alley.

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