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
There was a distinct set of tales dealing with demons who collected idle chatter in churches, and, over time, these stories were folded into the expanding legend of Tutivillus.
—
JSTOR Daily, 31 Oct. 2025
There was a lot of nervous smiling.
—Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025
There was always a warmness, there was always a laughter, there was always a family feel.
—Janine Henni, PEOPLE, 31 Oct. 2025
Three people with knowledge of those interests said there was consternation among insiders that forcing Maduro out could foment chaos and unrest and impede their access.
—Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025
There was also a wind advisory for New York City through midnight Friday, the National Weather Service for the region said.
—Phil Helsel, NBC news, 30 Oct. 2025
There was certain drama that was unavailable to us.
—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 30 Oct. 2025
There was one particular pass that stuck in the mind.
—Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025
There was no life left that wasn’t loveless, anymore, Qing Yuan thought.
—Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
JSTOR Daily, 31 Oct. 2025
There was a lot of nervous smiling.
—Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025
There was always a warmness, there was always a laughter, there was always a family feel.
—Janine Henni, PEOPLE, 31 Oct. 2025
Three people with knowledge of those interests said there was consternation among insiders that forcing Maduro out could foment chaos and unrest and impede their access.
—Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025
There was also a wind advisory for New York City through midnight Friday, the National Weather Service for the region said.
—Phil Helsel, NBC news, 30 Oct. 2025
There was certain drama that was unavailable to us.
—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 30 Oct. 2025
There was one particular pass that stuck in the mind.
—Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025
There was no life left that wasn’t loveless, anymore, Qing Yuan thought.
—Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for was
Verb
-
Our editors lived with and used each bath sheet after showering, measuring absorbency, softness, and dry time.—
Jasmine Desiree,
Architectural Digest,
31 Oct. 2025
-
KitKat, a 9-year-old cat who lived at Randa’s Market in San Francisco, was run over by a self-driving Waymo car on October 27, according to the store’s owners.—
Marni Rose McFall,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The accused were held in a small, dark jail that once stood on the ground floor of the courthouse, now tucked away in the attic of the rebuilt Town Hall.—
James Frater,
CNN Money,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Russia's air force combat fleet stood at more than 1,000, excluding 57 Tu-22M, 47 Tu-95, and 15 Tu-160 strategic bombers.—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
That’s also the last time the Commodores were ranked in the top 10.—
The Athletic College Football Staff,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
-
He is currently ranked 22nd in the Schwab Cup standings.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
And they’re not allowed to do that because of what happened (on Olivier’s hit).—
Aaron Portzline,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
-
This happened when Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina last year.—
Chris Dolce,
CNN Money,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The breakthrough creation marks a major first in planetary science, as a three-dimensional model of a planet orbiting another star beyond our sun had never before existed, the team claimed in a press release.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
30 Oct. 2025
-
The film tells a quietly amusing story that offers a more-than-realistic dive into one of the most iconic and thoughtful young men in world history – a man who essentially invented modern angst long before the internet existed.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
29 Oct. 2025
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
-
They were placed there by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife after being deemed unsuitable for wild release.—
Khloe Quill,
FOXNews.com,
26 Oct. 2025
-
Earnest, the indictment states, then shared the info with another bettor, who in turn shared it with others, resulting in multiple bets being placed on the game, worth about $100,000.—
Sally Jenkins,
The Atlantic,
26 Oct. 2025
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 3 Nov. 2025.
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