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.

Was called upon just before half-time to produce an acrobatic save to deny Jimenez again when Mexico were pushing for a leveller at 2-1.

From BBC • Jul. 6, 2026

As president of Blue Note Records, the estimable jazz label he’s led for more than a decade, Was relentlessly looks forward.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 3, 2026

Appeared in the July 3, 2026, print edition as 'Hegseth’s Plan for Troop Cuts In Europe Was Nixed'.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 3, 2026

“It’s shocking to be here in 2026 and, whatever distance we traveled from 1966 until now, to see it all get reset,” Was said.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 3, 2026

Was it possible that this—all of this that seemed so wasteful and so needless—this war, Scheveningen prison, this very cell, none of it was unforeseen or accidental?

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom