Definitions

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.

"We're going to try to determine whether or not there could be more documents legally turned over," Comer said.

From BBC • May 29, 2026

"We're showing capabilities that we haven't shown before, so many people in the field are getting really excited about this result," said Lau.

From Science Daily • May 29, 2026

We’re losing our independence not from force, but by acquiescence.

From Salon • May 29, 2026

"We're going back and forth on a couple of language points. We've made a lot of progress here."

From Barron's • May 29, 2026

We’re not going to find it up there, are we?

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver