weren't

contraction

(ˈ)wərnt How to pronounce weren't (audio)
ˈwər-ənt
: were not

Word History

First Known Use

1691, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of weren't was in 1691

Rhymes for weren't

See All Rhymes for weren't

Browse Nearby Words

were
weren't
werewolf
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Weren't.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/weren%27t. Accessed 13 May. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

Kids Definition

weren't

(ˈ)wərnt How to pronounce weren't (audio)
ˈwər-ənt
: were not

More from Merriam-Webster on weren't

Nglish: Translation of weren't for Spanish Speakers

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Words You Always Have to Look Up

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Every Letter Is Silent, Sometimes: A-Z List of Examples
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

Rare and Amusing Insults, Volume 3

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

Birds Say the Darndest Things
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

Rare and Amusing Insults, Volume 3
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 Word Game 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?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All