Was is the first and third person singular of the past tense of be1.
English Easy Learning GrammarBeThe verb be is used as an auxiliary verb and it can also be used as a main verb. SeeTypes of main verb. The verb be is irregular. It has eight different ... Read more
was in British English
(wɒz, unstressed wəz)
verb
1. the past tense (indicative mood) of be1
2. not standard
a form of the subjunctive mood used in place of were, esp in conditional sentences
if the film was to be with you, would you be able to process it?
Word origin
Old English wæs, from wesan to be; related to Old Frisian, Old High German was, Old Norse var
was in American English
(wʌz; wɑz)
verb intransitive
1st & 3d pers. sing., pt., of
be
Word origin
ME < OE wæs, 1st & 3d pers. sing. of wesan, to be < IE base *wes-, to dwell, stay > Sans vastū, house: not orig. connected with be
Examples of 'was' in a sentence
was
I slammed my foot down on the accelerator when the lights changed but the Golf was too quick.
Hugo Wilcken THE EXECUTION (2002)
He said he thought this new campaign for his reprieve was a total waste of time.
Hugo Wilcken THE EXECUTION (2002)
His eyesight was worsening daily; he was becoming the Mr. Magoo of butchers.
Lisa Scottoline RUNNING FROM THE LAW (2002)
All related terms of 'was'
be
You use be with a present participle to form the continuous tenses of verbs.
bist
to have presence in the realm of perceived reality ; exist; live
Iowa
a state of the N central US, in the Midwest : consists of rolling plains crossed by many rivers , with the Missouri forming the western border and the Mississippi the eastern . Capital: Des Moines. Pop: 2 944 062 (2003 est). Area: 144 887 sq km (55 941 sq miles)
Kiowa
a member of a Native American people of the southwestern U.S.
Ojibwa
a member of a Native American people living in a region west of Lake Superior
Ottawa
the capital of Canada , in E Ontario on the Ottawa River: name changed from Bytown to Ottawa in 1854. Pop: 1 325 846 (2015 est)
pesewa
a Ghanaian monetary unit worth one hundredth of a cedi
Tewa
a member of a cluster of pueblo-dwelling Native American peoples of New Mexico and Arizona
as was
in a previous state
time was
there was a time
court was adjourned
A court is a place where legal matters are decided by a judge and jury or by a magistrate .
marriage was annulled
A marriage is the relationship between two people who are married .
luck was on sb's side
If you say that luck was on someone's side , you mean that they succeeded in something by chance as well as by their own efforts or ability.
the problem was evident
A problem is a situation that is unsatisfactory and causes difficulties for people.
was not born yesterday
is not gullible or foolish
the relief was short-lived
If you feel a sense of relief , you feel happy because something unpleasant has not happened or is no longer happening .
the research was based on
Research is work that involves studying something and trying to discover facts about it.
hurt pride
Pride is a sense of the respect that other people have for you, and that you have for yourself.
Rome was not built in a day
said to mean that it takes a long time to do a job or task properly, and you should not rush it or expect to do it quickly
such as it is (or was, etc.)
being the kind it is (or was, etc.)
liberate a camp
A camp is a collection of huts and other buildings that is provided for a particular group of people, such as refugees , prisoners , or soldiers, as a place to live or stay .
palpable relief
If you feel a sense of relief , you feel happy because something unpleasant has not happened or is no longer happening .
sb wasn't to know/how was sb to know
You can say ' How was I to know ? ', or in British English ' I wasn't to know ', to mean that you cannot be blamed or criticized for something you did, because you did not have enough information to realize that it was wrong .
something was on the tip of your tongue
said to mean that you really wanted to make a remark or ask a question about something, but that you decided not to
an announcement is imminent
An announcement is a statement made to the public or to the media which gives information about something that has happened or that will happen.
shock the audience
The audience at a play, concert , film, or public meeting is the group of people watching or listening to it.
stun the audience
The audience at a play, concert , film, or public meeting is the group of people watching or listening to it.
welcome the announcement
An announcement is a statement made to the public or to the media which gives information about something that has happened or that will happen.
Chinese translation of 'was'
was
(wɔz)
pt
ofbe
Seeam
Nearby words of
was
wart
wartime
wary
was
"was it where I said?" — "yes, it was/no, it wasn't"
wash
wash away
All related terms of 'was'
be
( with complement ) 是 shì
it was hell
( inf ) 糟糕极(極)了 zāogāo jí le
I was with him
我和他在一起 wǒ hé tā zài yīqǐ
it was a breeze
( inf ) 这(這)是小事一桩(樁) zhè shì xiǎo shì yī zhuāng
it was thundering
打雷了 dǎléi le
night was falling
夜幕降临(臨)了 yèmù jiànglín le
the ball was out
球出界了 qiú chūjiè le
even he was there
连(連)他都在那儿(兒) lián tā dōu zài nàr
how was the film?
电(電)影怎么(麼)样(樣)？ diànyǐng zěnmeyàng?
I was only joking
我只是在开(開)玩笑。 wǒ zhǐshì zài kāi wánxiào
it was headline news
是头(頭)条(條)新闻(聞) shì tóutiáo xīnwén
it was quite a do
那是个(個)相当(當)大型的聚会(會) nà shì gè xiāngdāng dàxíng de jùhuì
it was sheer luck
这(這)纯(純)粹是运(運)气(氣) zhè chúncuì shì yùnqi
suppose he was right
假定他是对(對)的 jiǎdìng tā shì duì de
that was some party!
那个(個)聚会(會)好棒！ Nàge jùhuì hǎo bàng!
the sun was sinking
太阳(陽)落山了 tàiyáng luòshān le
there was no answer
( on telephone ) 无(無)人接听(聽) wú rén jiētīng
he was unknown to me
我不认(認)识(識)他 wǒ bù rènshi tā
I was none the wiser
我还(還)是不明白 wǒ háishì bù míngbai
it was a lot of fun
非常开(開)心 fēicháng kāixīn
it was quite a sight
景色十分壮观(觀) jǐngsè shífēn zhuàngguān
she was educated at ...
她在 ... 受的教育 tāzài ... shòu de jiàoyù
so how was your day?
那你今天过(過)得怎么(麼)样(樣)？ Nà nǐ jīntiān guò de zěnmeyàng?