was

past tense of be
1
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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for was
Verb
  • Doctors, including a child abuse expert from Riley Children’s Health hospital in Indianapolis, concluded the damage would have happened not long before the boy’s symptoms surfaced.
    Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 11 Mar. 2025
  • When Bob and Chris Belmont moved to the Boise area from Las Vegas to open a taproom and be closer to family, everything sort of happened all at once.
    Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 11 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • This species is considered the largest snake to have ever existed, reaching lengths of up to 42 feet and weighing over a ton.
    Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
  • The desert dunes responsible for the rock formations in the area existed 140 million years ago, according to the National Park Service.
    Raja Krishnamoorthi, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • 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
  • 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
Verb
  • Researchers from Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) have developed a microscopic brain sensor which is so tiny that it can be placed in the small gap between your hair follicles on the scalp, slightly under the skin.
    Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 13 Apr. 2025
  • While more invasive signal capture methods, such as brain implants, are possible, research by Georgia Tech sought to create sensors that are easily placed and reliably manufactured.
    Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 13 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • But the 30-day notice came anyway, just days after her husband lost his job as a machine operator.
    Jennifer Ludden, NPR, 15 Mar. 2025
  • The outing between the pair came shortly after Swift and Kelce grabbed dinner in Park City, Utah, earlier this month.
    Nicholas Rice, People.com, 15 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • The third-round draft pick fractured his forearm in the game, and afterward McVay ruled him out for the postseason.
    Adam Grosbard, Orange County Register, 6 Jan. 2025
  • For every song of his that became a global mainstay, one of his raw, evocative mixtapes simultaneously ruled the streets of Kingston.
    Kyle Denis, Billboard, 6 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Kimberly’s mom also claimed that the incident occurred after her daughter was involved in an argument with Downe.
    Abigail Adams, People.com, 11 Mar. 2025
  • The bus was transporting passengers from Katlehong, a township east of Johannesburg, and was nearing its highway exit when the incident occurred, officials said.
    Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 11 Mar. 2025
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Was.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/was. Accessed 21 Apr. 2025.

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