wasn't
Syllables: was·n't/ˈwɒz.ənt//ˈwʌz.ənt/
wasn't is the contraction of was.
Meaning of was
Verb
was
- Used in phrases with existential there when the semantic subject is (usually third-person) plural.
- There was three of them there.
Forms of wasn't
| alternative form | wadn't |
|---|---|
| alternative form | warn't |
| alternative form | wudn't |
| alternative form | wunt |
| alternative form | wa'n't |
| alternative form | wan't |
| alternative pronunciation-spelling | wazn't |
| alternative pronunciation-spelling | wuzn't |
| alternative pronunciation-spelling | wuzzent |
| alternative form (nonstandard, informal) | wasnt |
Origin of wasn't
Contraction of was + not. By surface analysis, was + -n't.
Words formed from wasn't
Phrases with wasn't
- if it wasn't
- it wasn't only only
- Rome wasn't burned in a day
- would lose one's head if it wasn't tied on
- would lose one's head if it wasn't attached
- would lose one's head if it wasn't glued on
- would lose one's head if it wasn't stuck on
- would lose one's head if it wasn't bolted on
- would lose one's head if it wasn't screwed on
Questions about wasn't
- What is wasn't the contraction of?
- Wasn't is the contraction of was.
- How do you pronounce wasn't?
- Wasn't is pronounced /ˈwɒz.ənt/ (UK).
Words near wasn't in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: wasn't (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-wasn't.wav, En-us-wasn't.ogg.
Cite this entry: “wasn't.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/wasn%27t. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.