was

was — verb

1. the form of the verb 'be' that we use when talking about the past. The subject i

1.verbintransitiveA1
Definition

the form of the verb 'be' that we use when talking about the past. The subject is 'I', 'he', 'she', 'it', or a single person or thing.

Example

Ritu was the winner of the school spelling competition.

was + noun phrase (identity/role)

The garden was full of bright yellow flowers in spring.

was + adjective phrase (description)

Common collocations
  • there was
  • it was
  • once was
  • was born
  • was called

Grammar Patterns

was + noun/adjective

was + present participle (past continuous)

was + past participle (passive voice)

was + prepositional phrase (location)

Usage Note

Subject is always singular: 'I', 'he', 'she', 'it', or a singular noun. For plural subjects (we, you, they), use 'were'. When used with a present participle (was + -ing), it forms the past continuous tense; with a past participle, it forms the passive voice.

Common Mistakes

They was at the library.
They were at the library.
'was' is only for singular subjects (I, he, she, it); 'were' is used with plural subjects.
She was a doctor now.
She is a doctor now.
'was' describes a state in the past; use 'is' for things that are still true in the present.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

These three forms of the verb 'be' differ by tense and subject. 'Is' is present tense and works with singular third-person subjects ('She is a student'). 'Was' is past tense and also takes singular subjects ('He was tired'), but describes a finished situation. 'Were' is the past-tense form for plural subjects ('They were at the park') and for the second-person singular ('You were right'). Many learners confuse 'was' and 'were' by number — remember: 'was' goes with one person or thing; 'were' goes with more than one. A common test: if you would use 'is' in the present, use 'was' in the past; if you would use 'are', use 'were'.

was ↗were ↗is ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • once upon a time there was
  • it was not until

Prepositions

Etymology

Proto-Indo-EuropeanProto-GermanicOld EnglishEnglish

The word 'was' comes from Old English 'wæs', which was the first and third person singular past tense form of 'wesan' (meaning 'to be'). This traces back to Proto-Germanic '*was', from the root '*wesaną', and ultimately to the Proto-Indo-European root '*h₂wes-', meaning 'to stay, reside, or spend the night'. The verb 'be' in English is unusual because it combines forms from several different ancient roots.