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
So while there was nostalgia playing here for the first time as a big-leaguer, Stewart also understood the task at hand.
—
Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 7 Apr. 2026
On March 24, there was one sequence when Jackson won the first rep only for Shelton to come back with a one-handed catch for a touchdown.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Apr. 2026
That alone would have set the chess world spinning, but there was more.
—Ben Mezrich, Vanity Fair, 6 Apr. 2026
There was the headline stop inside six minutes to deny Taty Castellanos from point-blank range, but another to deny Bowen seven minutes later, before a better use of his head to keep out Castellanos in the 100th minute.
—Beren Cross, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2026
There was no immediate explanation for the shift.
—Arkansas Online, 6 Apr. 2026
After 400 feet, reception was spotty, and at 500 feet there was no response at all.
—John R. Delaney, PC Magazine, 6 Apr. 2026
Because there was a surprise falling out in Denver almost exactly one year ago.
—Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 6 Apr. 2026
At the time of our stay, the kitchen was being refurbished, so there was no room service.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Mar. 2026
Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 7 Apr. 2026
On March 24, there was one sequence when Jackson won the first rep only for Shelton to come back with a one-handed catch for a touchdown.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Apr. 2026
That alone would have set the chess world spinning, but there was more.
—Ben Mezrich, Vanity Fair, 6 Apr. 2026
There was the headline stop inside six minutes to deny Taty Castellanos from point-blank range, but another to deny Bowen seven minutes later, before a better use of his head to keep out Castellanos in the 100th minute.
—Beren Cross, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2026
There was no immediate explanation for the shift.
—Arkansas Online, 6 Apr. 2026
After 400 feet, reception was spotty, and at 500 feet there was no response at all.
—John R. Delaney, PC Magazine, 6 Apr. 2026
Because there was a surprise falling out in Denver almost exactly one year ago.
—Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 6 Apr. 2026
At the time of our stay, the kitchen was being refurbished, so there was no room service.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for was
Verb
-
The tours cover the estate’s architecture, its history with horse breeding and racing and the journey from enslavement to emancipation of the African Americans who lived there.—
Lauren Schuster,
Miami Herald,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Five minutes later, a 911 dispatcher sent police and paramedics toward the northwest Charlotte neighborhood off Rozelles Ferry Road, where Graves lived and where Watson had been fatally shot.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Several major insurers that offer federal employee health plans — including the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, Kaiser Permanente, and UnitedHealthcare — declined to comment on their plans to comply with the notice or offer insight on where plans to implement the data sharing stood.—
Amanda Seitz,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
-
An Easter bunny stood beside the president, unblinking, as the president detailed his accomplishments.—
Maura Judkis,
Washington Post,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Site Selection Magazine just ranked Illinois as the best state in the Midwest, and third nationally, for workforce development because of critical investments in higher education, apprenticeships and skill development.—
Mark Denzler,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Here are all nine official version of the ultimate Raging Bull ranked.—
Bryan Hood,
Robb Report,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Nets tied their season high with 36 assists, and six different players recorded at least four assists in the same game, a franchise mark that has only been hit eight times and hadn’t happened since March 2022.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Clements said the mistaken identification may have happened because the creature decomposed and lost its telltale shell before it was fossilized, complicating identification.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Such a zone existed pre-robot world.—
Ken Rosenthal,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Then, Guilarte traveled to Medellín, Colombia, to meet with Francisco Lopera, the pioneering Alzheimer’s researcher who uncovered a heritable form of the disease that existed in his home region.—
Brianna Abbott,
STAT,
7 Apr. 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 officer suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was placed on administrative duties, according to police.—
DeJanay Booth-Singleton,
CBS News,
4 Apr. 2026
-
The signs replace a display of 32 fabric flags that previously flew along the overpass fence, originally placed by community members after the crash, according to an ITD news release.—
Rose Evans
April 4,
Idaho Statesman,
4 Apr. 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 10 Apr. 2026.
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