believe
/bɪˈliv/ verb A1- To accept as true, particularly without absolute certainty (i.e., as opposed to knowing).
- To accept that someone is telling the truth.
- To have been convinced by rational means to accept the truth of a proposition.
- To have been influenced by arational means (such as emotional experience, the imagination of need, etc.) to accept the truth of a proposition.
- To have religious faith; to believe in a greater truth.
- To opine, think, reckon.
- To ascribe existence to.
- To believe that (something) is right or desirable.
Plural believe · He/she/it believes · Past believed · Past participle believed · -ing form believing
Verb forms
- Base form
- believe
- He/she/it
- believes
- Past
- believed
- Past participle
- believed
- -ing form
- believing
From the library
Presently Ruby Gillis started up to take a sum to the master; she fell back into her seat with a little shriek, believing that her hair was pulled out by the roots.
But Ruby Gillis says she saw him writing something on her slate and when Prissy read it she blushed as red as a beet and giggled; and Ruby Gillis says she doesn’t believe it had anything to do with the lesson.”
“I believe that, besides the packet, Captain Leclere confided a letter to his care.”
“Well, I believe, my dear Edmond, though I have not seen him lately.”
Learn believe in real texts
With a free account, hover any word in the library for its meaning, hear it read aloud, save words for review timed to your memory, and see how much of each book you already know.