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

Their cognitive scores were tied to a broader range of brain regions than men’s, suggesting the brain may be recruiting additional areas to support performance.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 13, 2026

This is because airlines will have had notably high fuel hedging in March, while January and February were unaffected by the conflict, they say.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

In total, 114 individual whales were documented in the Bay during the study period.

From Science Daily • Apr. 13, 2026

The preference is even more pronounced now among younger viewers, with 46% of millennials and 49% of Gen Z respondents saying they were willing to watch more ads.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 13, 2026

They were walking east to St. John’s Park, which bordered the Red River.

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