believe

verb

be·lieve | \ bə-ˈlēv

believed; believing

Definition of believe

transitive verb

1a : to consider to be true or honest believe the reports you wouldn't believe how long it took

b : to accept the word or evidence of I believe you couldn't believe my ears

2 : to hold as an opinion : suppose I believe it will rain soon

intransitive verb

1a : to accept something as true, genuine, or real ideals we believe in believes in ghosts

b : to have a firm or wholehearted religious conviction or persuasion : to regard the existence of God as a fact Do you believe? —usually used with in believe in the Scriptures

2 : to have a firm conviction as to the goodness, efficacy, or ability of something believe in exercise

3 : to hold an opinion : think I believe so

not believe

: to be astounded at I couldn't believe my luck

Other Words from believe Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about believe

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Synonyms & Antonyms for believe

Synonyms

accept, buy, credit, swallow, take, trust

Antonyms

disbelieve, discredit, reject

Examples of believe in a Sentence

I have watched the many ways that teachers demonstrate pleasure in what students have said or done. I used to believe that teachers needed to present a stoic face for fear of losing control—as if smiling caused bad behavior. — Nancy Mack, English Journal, September 2008 Scientists kept a close eye on Mount Saint Helens. The volcano in Washington State spewed steam and ash throughout the month, leading experts to believe that it could erupt at any time. — Time For Kids, 17 Dec. 2004 They parted as casually as any friends who believe they will meet in a few days. But each knew the other was in deadly peril of his life. — Esther Forbes, Johnny Tremain, 1943 The scientists believed the reports. Many people seem to believe that theory, but I find it hard to believe. You shouldn't believe everything you read. He says he'll help us, but I don't believe what he says. They were tricked into believing that he was a doctor. He says he'll help us, but I don't believe him. She went to church because her family expected it, but she didn't really believe.

Recent Examples on the Web

But the report makes clear that the Defense Department doesn't believe the objects are from beyond Earth and that an explanation can almost always be found for incidents like these. — Christal Hayes, USA TODAY, "Trump got a briefing on UFOs, although he doesn't 'particularly' believe in them," 15 June 2019 Draymond Green doesn’t believe Golden State's run of success is over. — Emily Caron, SI.com, "Draymond Green After NBA Finals Loss to Raptors: 'We’ll Be Back'," 14 June 2019 Detroit officials don't believe the death is connected to a 45-year-old woman found dead Monday in a vacant home on Detroit's east side. — Dixita Limbachia, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit police: Man's body found in vacant field on city's east side," 14 June 2019 Many people believed that HIV could be contracted from a kiss, a cough, or even a toilet seat: fears that stigmatised suffers and contributed directly to the mishandling, by doctors and others, of the crisis. — 1843, "How Keith Haring’s art forced us to talk about AIDS," 13 June 2019 Mark Surman, executive director of the Mozilla Foundation, believes open source datasets like Common Voice are one of the only viable ways to ensure more language diversity in emerging tech. — Louise Matsakis, WIRED, "Bridging the Internet's Digital Language Divide," 13 June 2019 Police Commissioner Michael Harrison said this week that investigators did not believe Barnes was connected to other cases but urged any other potential victims to come forward. — Jessica Anderson, baltimoresun.com, "Shock Trauma guard charged with raping a woman in Baltimore has impersonated police officer before," 12 June 2019 Schuetz believes cities need to ramp up affordable housing production. — Patrick Sisson, Curbed, "Hey, middle class, the housing crisis is coming for you next," 11 June 2019 Officials do not believe there is a danger to the public or that his disappearance is the result of foul play. — Nina Bertelsen, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Search is on for a 46-year-old man from the Town of Lisbon," 10 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'believe.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.