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.

Officers were dispatched about 2:42 p.m. to the 200 block of West Broadway on an unknown trouble call.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 18, 2026

"It was a month before the war. When you look at this, there was a Khartoum. There were very lovely nights in Sudan."

From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026

There were 29 players on the roster last year and nine graduated.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 18, 2026

There were chants of "we want our Chelsea back" during a protest march before kick-off - then the chorus spread to the stands during the second half of the defeat by Manchester United.

From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026

Maggie was in her uncle’s old blue two-tone F-150, and the truck could handle the rough dirt road, not that the bison were giving her much choice.

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