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 regret that our proactive measures to prevent secondary harm from last year’s data leak incident, as well as our explanations based on clear facts, were not sufficiently reflected in the PIPC’s decision,” Coupang said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 11, 2026

At least four people were taken into custody Wednesday night.

From Barron's • Jun. 11, 2026

Asia-Pacific equity markets were broadly mixed Thursday; South Korea’s Kospi rose 0.7%, while India’s Sensex shed 0.3%.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 11, 2026

Oracle’s earnings report after the bell don’t look promising for the markets tomorrow: Shares of the cloud platform provider were down sharply in the wake of a mixed earnings report this evening.

From Barron's • Jun. 10, 2026

It was difficult to find supplies, and once the papers were printed, it was incredibly dangerous to distribute them.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly