was (to)

verb

Definition of was (to)next
past tense of be (to)
as in treated
to behave toward in a stated way you need to be nice to your brother

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for was (to)
  1. treated
  2. served
  3. handled
Verb
  • At a hospital in Sokoto, records shared with AP show nearly 40 children previously treated for malnutrition since February are currently under treatment again, in addition to those not documented.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 July 2026
  • When the musician was first diagnosed, it was believed her condition would be easily treated with radiation, but complications required her to undergo multiple surgeries.
    — Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 19 July 2026
Definition of treated
Verb
  • The narrow pedestrian strip of restaurants and cafes served as the hub for the city’s six-week fan activities, hosted in partnership with Major League Soccer’s San Jose Earthquakes.
    — Ryan Macasero, Mercury News, 25 July 2026
  • The Republican has also served on the Olathe City Council since 2022.
    — Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 25 July 2026
Definition of served
Verb
  • Each company explicitly named the illness as a material business risk and warned fresh, raw leafy greens handled at its restaurants were at risk for the parasite.
    — Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
  • Langley, 27, handled the mishap with ease and slipped into a Baltimore Ravens jersey before picking up her guitar and carrying on with the show at M&T Bank Stadium.
    — Tracy Wright, FOXNews.com, 20 July 2026
Definition of handled
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.

Browse Nearby Words

wasting (away)
was (to)
wastrel
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Was (to).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/was%20%28to%29. Accessed 26 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of aerie

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 24

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
chain-question-mark
Missing Link Quiz July 2026 Five seconds to figure out the word that fits bot...
See All