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Added 9 October 2026

were

/wə(ɹ)/ verb

Categories: Everyday Words

verb Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about were at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

  1. second-person singular simple past indicative of be
    John, you were the only person to see him.
  2. plural simple past indicative of be
    We were about to leave.
  3. simple subjunctive of be
    I wish that it were Sunday.

noun

  1. Alternative form of wer (“man; wergeld”).

noun

  1. The collective name for any kind of person that changes into another form under certain conditions, including the werewolf.

Origin

Inherited from Middle English were, weren, from Old English wǣre, wǣron, wǣren, from Proto-West Germanic *wāʀun, *wāʀīn, from Proto-Germanic *wēzun, *wēzīn, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂wes-. More at was.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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