Showing results for "were"

• an inflection of be.
• an inflection of be.
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• were
  were

  verb

  a second person singular past indicative; first, second, and third person plural past indicative; and past subjunctive of be.
• we're
  we're

  contraction of we are:

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Were appears in the word werewolf. What was the original meaning of this instance of were?

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were

¹ American  

[wur, wer, wair] / wɜr, wər, wɛər /

verb

1. a second person singular past indicative; first, second, and third person plural past indicative; and past subjunctive of be.

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we're ² American  

[weer] / wɪər /

1. contraction of we are:

   We're happy to see you.

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were ¹ British  

/ wɜː, wə /

verb

1. the plural form of the past tense (indicative mood) of be and the singular form used with you. It is also used as a subjunctive, esp in conditional sentences

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we're ² British  

/ wɪə /

contraction

1. we are

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Grammar

See subjunctive.

Usage

See contraction.

Were, as a remnant of the past subjunctive in English, is used in formal contexts in clauses expressing hypotheses ( if he were to die, she would inherit everything ), suppositions contrary to fact ( if I were you, I would be careful ), and desire ( I wish he were there now ). In informal speech, however, was is often used instead

Etymology

Origin of were

First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English wǣre past subjunctive, wǣre 2nd-person singular past and wǣron 2nd-person plural past of wesan “to be”; cognate with Dutch, German waren, Danish var. See was

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

were we're

Ford’s brighter outlook came as the carmaker reported second-quarter earnings that were well above analyst expectations.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026

The company said that cash fixed costs were stable compared with the previous year and its efforts to reduce costs of goods sold are paying off.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

Watts Towers attract about 40,000 visitors a year, according to the California Department of Parks and Recreation, and were designated a U.S.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

The television hosts were right about the tone‑deafness, but wrong about the scale.

From Salon ● Jul. 29, 2026

Medical science in 1848 knows very little about bacteria, even though they were first seen through microscopes nearly two hundred years before.

From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman

Community-based care was part of the plan when mental hospitals were closed half a century ago, but “the system has been so under-resourced … and we’re still playing catch-up.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

“People really do think we’re evil,” Romer said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

"If we don't understand what climate change, ocean warming or acidification does to coral ecosystems, there is a chance we're going to lose them," Ravasi said.

From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026

“It took so long because we’re in Watts,” she said, noting that the neighborhood has faced decades of disinvestment dating back to the 1965 Watts uprising.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

“He’s finding out how much we’re charging so he can undersell us!”

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom