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.

According to Marcia, George was convinced he’d be laughed out of Hollywood because in the original script characters were running around and shooting at one another and nobody was getting hurt.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 2, 2026

"They were told to get their acts together and make their team stronger."

From BBC • Jun. 2, 2026

Food delivery platforms were complicit in these arrangements, the report added.

From BBC • Jun. 2, 2026

It said this was because it was not currently known if screening tests were accurate and if a suitable test cut-off level had been set.

From BBC • Jun. 2, 2026

The smile that lit her eyes sparked an answer in me, and I couldn’t say we were not-friends anymore.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith