1
as in lived
to have life
stories that begin with the familiar line "once upon a time there was a beautiful maiden"
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
3
as in ranked
to take or have a certain position within a group arranged in vertical classes
our school's football team is first in its division
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in happened
to take place
the party is next Saturday
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of was
The level and duration of violence depend on a few factors, such as whether there was a succession plan and what kind of alliances are in place with other cartels.
—
Angélica Durán-Martínez, The Conversation, 24 Feb. 2026
But when morning came, and there was no snow, skeptical New Englanders treated the workday like business as usual.
—Doyle Rice, USA Today, 24 Feb. 2026
But there was still plenty for lovers of M/M — like Spangel (Spike/Angel), which took out the middlewoman and had the vampire boyfriends smooch each other.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 23 Feb. 2026
Then, there was Kate Middleton, who wrote the book on royal beauty, with a powerful eye aesthetic and mermaid waves.
—Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 23 Feb. 2026
Both stressed that there was no intention to broadcast the slur.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 23 Feb. 2026
Thaksin has denied there was such a deal.
—Helen Regan, CNN Money, 17 Feb. 2026
In fact, for the first nearly 2 billion years of Earth’s history, there was no appreciable oxygen in the planet’s atmosphere at all.
—Big Think, 17 Feb. 2026
The sheriff's office said that, according to the preliminary investigation, men were trying to rob a security guard in the area when there was an exchange of gunfire.
—Steven Yablonski, CBS News, 16 Feb. 2026
Angélica Durán-Martínez, The Conversation, 24 Feb. 2026
But when morning came, and there was no snow, skeptical New Englanders treated the workday like business as usual.
—Doyle Rice, USA Today, 24 Feb. 2026
But there was still plenty for lovers of M/M — like Spangel (Spike/Angel), which took out the middlewoman and had the vampire boyfriends smooch each other.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 23 Feb. 2026
Then, there was Kate Middleton, who wrote the book on royal beauty, with a powerful eye aesthetic and mermaid waves.
—Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 23 Feb. 2026
Both stressed that there was no intention to broadcast the slur.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 23 Feb. 2026
Thaksin has denied there was such a deal.
—Helen Regan, CNN Money, 17 Feb. 2026
In fact, for the first nearly 2 billion years of Earth’s history, there was no appreciable oxygen in the planet’s atmosphere at all.
—Big Think, 17 Feb. 2026
The sheriff's office said that, according to the preliminary investigation, men were trying to rob a security guard in the area when there was an exchange of gunfire.
—Steven Yablonski, CBS News, 16 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for was
Verb
-
Pierce County court records show that a woman who lived at the address last May obtained a one-year protection order against her 32-year-old son.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Most of these people have lived there before.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Adobe's market capitalization stood at $101 billion on Monday, while Canva said in August that it had been valued at $42 billion in a secondary share sale, before the recent plunge in software stocks.—
Jordan Novet,
CNBC,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Investigators said for nearly 60 minutes, the dogs stood outside the door, exposed to the cold, without food and water.—
Shelley Bortz,
CBS News,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
These two teams ranked 31st and 32nd in the NHL on the power play at the Olympic break, but both clubs scored with the extra man in this one.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Reading comprehension among California’s fourth-graders ranked 37th among the states in the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress.—
Dan Walters,
Oc Register,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The confrontation happened Wednesday one nautical mile northeast of the El Pino channel in Cayo Falcones, off the northern coast of the Villa Clara province in central Cuba, according to Cuban government officials.—
Michelle Marchante,
Miami Herald,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Gusmane Coulibaly was arrested on Thursday after his picture was circulated on a NYPD tipline for a massive snowball skirmish that happened earlier this week.—
Washington Examiner Staff,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Apple never backed down and the FBI found a way to unlock the phone anyway, using bugs that already existed in Apple’s code, effectively providing the back door that law enforcement sought in the first place.—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Skyline has evolved through several downtown venues over the years, but Ace*Mission offers the ability to move fluidly between open-air programming and raw warehouse interiors, a duality that mirrors how dance culture has historically existed in Los Angeles.—
Holly Alvarado,
Daily News,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Levi Jones, a 33-year-old business owner, pulled up to Sacred Eye Tattoos in Hollywood last week and sat for eight hours getting a photorealistic black-and-white portrait of Mangione on his leg.—
Amanda Rosa,
Orlando Sentinel,
24 Dec. 2024
-
The birthday boy and his big sister Sterling Skye, 3, each sat between one of their parents’ laps.—
Angel Saunders,
People.com,
24 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
The Los Angeles School Board placed Superintendent Alberto Carvalho on indefinite administrative leave Friday, two days after FBI agents raided his California home and school district office.—
Devoun Cetoute,
Miami Herald,
28 Feb. 2026
-
State officials, after running all providers against claims in AHCCCS’s system, confirmed that the agency approved zero payments to providers after the date on which they were placed on the exclusions list.—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
That came just a few days after news broke that Palantir had secured a $10 billion contract from the US Army over the next decade.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
7 Aug. 2025
-
All five of Bednar’s outs came via strikeout on Wednesday.—
Brendan Kuty,
New York Times,
7 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Was.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/was. Accessed 1 Mar. 2026.
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