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.

Eight the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence and eight of the 55 framers of the Constitution were immigrants.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 4, 2026

The north African side were not pretty in beating the 2026 co-hosts 3-0 in their round of 16 meeting in Houston.

From BBC • Jul. 4, 2026

Five others were born to immigrant parents and two others have immigrant grandparents or great-grandparents.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 4, 2026

England were looking for a contest that gave a true measure of where they stand against the world's best.

From BBC • Jul. 4, 2026

In my head, Jacqueline and I were the same: We loved music so much, we made it our breath.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold