Definitions

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.

"He WAS internationally known and he DID rock the microphone," comedian Dane Cook wrote on X.

From BBC • May 23, 2026

On Monday night, Marie Allen, a 35-year-old studying to be a substance-abuse counselor, stood with a friend near the shooting site holding a sign that read, “IT WAS MURDER.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 29, 2026

“He WAS love,” she wrote, sharing a tender picture of them from when she was a baby.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 8, 2024

I was not depressed, I WAS ANGRY, and it was not that I was not eating, it was that I was eating too much.

From Slate • Dec. 4, 2023

IT WAS THE third of May; I was sitting on my cot sewing.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom