was
/wəz/
More pronunciations (1)Fewer pronunciations
dialectal/wɒz/
was verb: used in phrases with existential there when the semantic subject is (usually third-person) plural. Also the first-person singular simple past indicative of be.
Verb
was
- Used in phrases with existential there when the semantic subject is (usually third-person) plural.
- There was three of them there.
- And in the vppermoſt baſket there was of all maner of †bake-meats foꝛ Pharaoh,and the birds did eat them out of the baſket vpon my head.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Gen 40:17
Noun capitalized: WAs
WAs
- plural of WA
Proper noun capitalized: Was
Was (plural Wases)
- A surname.
Also used as
was is also the first-person singular simple past indicative of be.
was is also the third-person singular simple past indicative of be.
was is also the second-person singular simple past indicative of be.
was is also the first-person plural simple past indicative of be.
was is also the third-person plural simple past indicative of be.
Examples of was in a sentence
- He was frustrated because he couldn't find anything about dinosaurs in the book.
- As I tiptoed past the sleeping dog, my heart was pounding but I remained silent.
- I was so happy to get an A on that test.
Forms of was
| Verb | |
|---|---|
| alternative form | wus |
| alternative form | wuz |
| Proper noun | |
| plural | Wases |
Origin of was
From Middle English was, from Old English wæs, from Proto-Germanic *was, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂we-h₂wós-e from *h₂wes- (“to reside”), whence also vestal. See also Scots was, West Frisian was (dated, wie is generally preferred today), Dutch was, Low German was, German war, Swedish var); also Kamkata-viri vos-, Sanskrit उवास (uvā́sa). The paradigm of “to be” has been since the time of Proto-Germanic a synthesis of three originally distinct verb stems. The infinitive form be and its derived forms been and being are from Proto-Indo-European *bʰuH- (“to become”). The present-tense indicative forms am, is, and are are both derived from Proto-Indo-European *h₁es- (“to be”). Lastly, the past forms starting with w- such as was and were are from Proto-Indo-European *h₂wes- (“to reside”).
Words formed from was
Phrases with was
- as was
- was on
- time was
- was born
- was late
- was like
- was onto
- was with
- never was
- there was
- was a man
- was a one
132 more phrasesFewer phrases
- was along
- was awake
- was bored
- was on to
- was right
- was there
- was wrong
- was around
- was in for
- was rid of
- was silent
- that was it
- was a thing
- was able to
- was oneself
- was out for
- was scepter
- was sceptre
- was used to
- was good for
- was scepters
- was sceptres
- that was that
- was aces with
- was ages with
- was all about
- was done with
- was down with
- was taken ill
- what was that
- as I was saying
- it was this way
- Kilroy was here
- was supposed to
- it was delicious
- it was like this
- saw and was seen
- was no match for
- I was born in ...
- was at the plague
- before it was cool
- knew what was what
- thought one was it
- was born last week
- was on the lookout
- known what was what
- since God was a boy
- it was a joke, Joyce
- since Adam was a boy
- was cruel to be kind
- was left at the post
- if ever there was one
- if there ever was one
- that was not the wind
- was on one's bullshit
- was on someone's dick
- was on someone's nuts
- was someone's to lose
- Bang That Was Promised
- before the ink was dry
- since Hector was a pup
- since Skippy was a pup
- that was a joke, Joyce
- was on one's beanwater
- was on one's merry way
- was the worse for drink
- knew what o'clock it was
- partied like it was 1999
- quit while one was ahead
- stood up and was counted
- the ink was not even dry
- what was someone smoking
- what was your first clue
- ain't what it used to was
- known what o'clock it was
- was left holding the baby
- was one's own worst enemy
- what was someone thinking
- got what was coming to one
- like there was no tomorrow
- that was then, this is now
- that was then; this is now
- was lost to the four winds
- when Adam was an oakum boy
- as if there was no tomorrow
- play the hand one was dealt
- Rome was not built in a day
- since Adam was an oakum boy
- was in each other's pockets
- jumped before one was pushed
- and nothing of value was lost
- gotten what was coming to one
- kicked a dog when it was down
- naked as the day one was born
- played the hand one was dealt
- that was then and this is now
- was gathered to one's fathers
- remember like it was yesterday
- who was your servant last year
- taught someone who was the boss
- was part of life's rich pageant
- was part of life's rich pattern
- knew if one was Arthur or Martha
- one's father was born before one
- play the hand that one was dealt
- was part of life's rich tapestry
- known if one was Arthur or Martha
- smelt what someone was stepping in
- smelled what someone was stepping in
- knew whether one was Arthur or Martha
- put one's money where one's mouth was
- known whether one was Arthur or Martha
- picked up what someone was laying down
- sawn off the branch one was sitting on
- hallooed before one was out of the wood
- picked up what someone was putting down
- sawed off the branch one was sitting on
- fixed the roof while the sun was shining
- knew what side of the bread was buttered
- known what side of the bread was buttered
- knew on what side one's bread was buttered
- knew what side of one's bread was buttered
- knew what side one's bread was buttered on
- knew which side one's bread was buttered on
- known on what side one's bread was buttered
- known what side of one's bread was buttered
- known what side one's bread was buttered on
- known which side one's bread was buttered on
- when Adam was an oakum boy in Chatham Dockyard
- since Adam was an oakum boy in Chatham Dockyard
- pissed on someone's leg and told them it was raining
- when you're up to your neck in alligators, it's hard to remember that your initial objective was to drain the swamp
Words that rhyme with was
Questions about was
- What does was mean?
- Was means used in phrases with existential there when the semantic subject is (usually third-person) plural.
- What part of speech is was?
- Was can be a verb, a noun or a proper noun.
- How do you pronounce was?
- Was is pronounced /wəz/.
Words near was in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: was (page history and authors); WAs (page history and authors); Was (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-was2.wav, en-us-was-unstressed.ogg.
Cite this entry: “was.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/was. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.