believe

verb

bə-ˈlēv How to pronounce believe (audio)
Definition of believenext
1
as in to accept
to regard as right or true only the most naive car buyer would have believed the salesman's claim that the dealership was actually losing money on the deal

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to think
to have as an opinion despite the horrors she witnessed and endured, Anne Frank steadfastly believed that "people are really good at heart"

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of believe That’s three negative developments in three Senate races that could determine which party controls the chamber, all of them contests in which Democrats were believed to be favored. — W. James Antle Iii, The Washington Examiner, 2 Nov. 2026 Greg was firmly in the pro-commercialization camp, according to OpenAI researchers who’ve worked with him, believing that above all, AI can empower individuals to transform their own lives. — Julia Black, Vanity Fair, 2 Nov. 2026 An analysis of the scene suggested Ringquist slid and tumbled about 12 feet once she was separated from the truck, which police believe was being driven between 13-15 mph, Bronson testified. — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 2 Nov. 2026 Police said that although additional charges are possible for others involved in the shooting, detectives believe Perez is the only shooter. — Jennifer McRae, CBS News, 2 Nov. 2026 See All Example Sentences for believe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for believe
  1. accept
  2. think
  3. understand
  4. guess
  5. take
  6. imagine
  7. trust
  8. consider
Verb
  • Thompson has criticized the self-funding, while Jones has fired back by pointing at the incumbent’s history of accepting corporate donations.
    — Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 4 Nov. 2026
  • In Westchester County, election officials said ballot scanners were not accepting paper ballots, an issue that resulted from a program update made after polling equipment was initially prepared and tested.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of accept
Verb
  • Portavadie, Argyll Situated on the banks of Loch Fyne on Scotland’s west coast, Portavadie is home to what is thought to be the biggest heated outdoor infinity pool in the country, said Rachel Dixon in The Guardian.
    — Will Barker, TheWeek, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Roughly nine in 10 voters nationally say government corruption is a major factor in their vote, about the same as the cost of living, and about six in 10 voters think the president puts his own personal interests over the country.
    — S.E. Jenkins, CBS News, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of think
Verb
  • After accepting the Up Against It role, Whitaker requested time with an oncologist for a briefing on Rose’s treatment to understand the real-life protocols around treating cancer.
    — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 4 Nov. 2026
  • But for decades, scientists didn’t understand the neural underpinnings of cognitive exhaustion.
    — Cody Cottier, Scientific American, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of understand
Verb
  • Nothing is imminent, and OConnell has kept her plans close to the vest, leaving Hollywood guessing about what the new structure would look like.
    — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Learning to read that data is what separates guessing from strategy.
    — Tonia Ryan, Forbes.com, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of guess
Verb
  • The United States has taken another significant step towards strengthening its military installations.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 8 Nov. 2026
  • The Monarchs were clinging to a 21-20 lead in the second set when Matavao took control, hammering spikes for her team’s last four points.
    — Steve Galluzzo, Los Angeles Times, 8 Nov. 2026
Definition of take
Verb
  • Brown's career started as well as anyone could have imagined, as the former sixth-round-pick from Central Michigan went from fighting to earn a roster spot to becoming one of the most prolific wide receivers in Pittsburgh franchise history.
    — Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 Nov. 2026
  • That gives you the basic shape of Andromeda — not the easiest constellation to imagine as a mythological princess, but a useful chain of stars to learn.
    — Jamie Carter, Space.com, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of imagine
Verb
  • Test the color directly on your mouth rather than trusting a hand swatch, Vogue India’s makeup artist guide recommends.
    — Ashley Lynch, Miami Herald, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Allow the old patch to be trusted for four years and counting, and successful exploitation is almost inevitable.
    — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of trust
Verb
  • While Casher often credited Thomas Organ’s Brad Plunkett as the engineer of the device, the wah-wah pedal was considered Casher’s brainchild.
    — Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 8 Nov. 2026
  • That distinction matters for companies considering multi-agent systems.
    — Trevor Laurence Jockims, CNBC, 8 Nov. 2026
Definition of consider

Phrases Containing believe

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believably
believe
believed
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Cite this Entry

“Believe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/believe. Accessed 12 Nov. 2026.

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