believes

verb

present tense third-person singular of believe
1
as in accepts
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 thinks
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 believes Larter believes engineers could develop similar mechanisms for hundreds of ordnance types. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 31 Oct. 2026 Without a clear owner, those recommendations circulate and generate input, and often the leader believes the recommendations turn into action. — Maureen Metcalf, Forbes.com, 30 Oct. 2026 Bellettini believes the Avenue Montaigne boutique will be among its highest revenue earners worldwide, alongside its flagships in New York City, Shanghai and Milan. — Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 30 Oct. 2026 The coach believes this is simply a painful part of a young player’s NBA growth. — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 30 Oct. 2026 Still, Goodacre believes that a rise in employer’s allowance for national insurance would have been a welcome addition. — Joe Bobowicz, Vogue, 29 Oct. 2026 The 20-minute call, which Aris believes the military monitored, offered a rare glimpse of how the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize laureate is being held. — Lorcan Lovett, NPR, 23 Oct. 2026 Bitdefender believes this helps the malware avoid detection by Google Play Protect during installation. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026 Chandrasekaran believes his occupation would lead Raman to care even more about Hollywood than past mayors. — Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for believes
  1. accepts
  2. thinks
  3. understands
  4. considers
  5. takes
  6. imagines
  7. feels
Verb
  • When Lear disowns her, the King of France accepts Cordelia as his wife and takes her back to his homeland.
    — Langdon Hammer, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026
  • When Danny is assigned to create a holiday scrapbook for his mom, Michaela reluctantly accepts help from his free-spirited substitute teacher, Bryan (Morgan), whose creativity clashes with her need for preciseness and control.
    — Rachel LaBonte, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of accepts
Verb
  • Regarding the principal of the investment from the sale of Porter Memorial Hospital, Gulley thinks the Porter County Foundation Board, made up of the 10 members of the Board of Commissioners and the County Council, has managed it well.
    — Shelley Jones, Chicago Tribune, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Those features can create confidence before someone even thinks to check who operates the business.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of thinks
Verb
  • No one device has to do everything; each plays the role it is best suited for, coordinated by a personal AI agent that understands the user’s context and acts only at the user’s direction.
    — IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Carolyn Bessette Kennedy’s effortless style still has its hold on fashion, and the fashion designer Narciso Rodriguez understands the allure better than anyone.
    — Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of understands
Verb
  • Netanyahu’s unsubstantiated claims of election interference have drawn swift rebukes, as the opposition considers using its numbers to shape the Knesset before a new government is formed.
    — Cara Anna, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Wrighting — who expressly aligns with the BFC’s strategy to decentralize British fashion — considers devolvement a crucial development.
    — Joe Bobowicz, Vogue, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of considers
Verb
  • As mentioned, this new skin trend takes its name from mochi, a traditional Japanese rice cake treat famous for its bouncy texture, plump appearance, and smooth, slightly translucent surface.
    — Jeanne Ballion, Vogue, 24 Oct. 2026
  • This takes more chutzpah than Ohtani’s insistence to continue as a two-way player.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of takes
Verb
  • Bacon’s own utopian fantasy The New Atlantis imagines a brave technocratic future, and seemingly predicts everything from submarines to genetic modification and the internet.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Rooms With the Hanoi Opera House just steps away, each of Capella Hanoi's 47 rooms and suites imagines the private quarters of an opera legend.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of imagines
Verb
  • Plus, their slightly structured silhouette feels more put together than traditional sweatpants, without sacrificing comfort.
    — Nicol Natale, PEOPLE, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Metroid's fate feels equally in the balance right now, and in a world where game studios are closing down and rivals like Microsoft are shrinking their focus to big-hitter franchises, Nintendo could easily let Metroid fall back into obscurity.
    — Daryl Baxter, Space.com, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of feels

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Cite this Entry

“Believes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/believes. Accessed 4 Nov. 2026.

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