was

[wuhz, woz, wuhz] / wʌz, wɒz, wəz /

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exist v.
happen v.

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.

See Examples For:

was

The rejection rate was closer to 30% during the Great Recession.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026

At the start of his career, Hastert was a high-school government and history teacher, as well as a wrestling and football coach.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

Your friend was unlucky that she took a tumble on those basement stairs.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026

While Addepar was figuring out how to integrate AI inside the company, its biggest challenge was applying “the knowledge that lives between the systems, between the people,” Pisani said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

The Philippines was a Spanish colony for more than three hundred years.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly