was

verb
UK: /wɒz/
US: /wɑːz/

  1. Past tense of the verb 'be' used with 'I', 'he', 'she', 'it', or singular nouns.

    1. It was a very nice day yesterday, wasn't it? [ ] [ ]
    2. She was planning to attend the meeting, but she got sick the day before. [ ] [ ]

  2. Used to describe a state or condition that existed in the past.

    1. He was very tired after the long walk yesterday. [ ] [ ]
    2. The city was much quieter before the construction of the new highway. [ ] [ ]

  3. Used to indicate that something happened or was done in the past.

    1. The window was broken during the storm last night. [ ] [ ]
    2. The cake was baked by my mother for my birthday party. [ ] [ ]

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "was" in English means: Past tense of the verb 'be' used with 'I', 'he', 'she', 'it', or singular nouns., Used to describe a state or condition that existed in the past., Used to indicate that something happened or was done in the past..

The phonetic transcription of "was" is /wɒz/ in British English and /wɑːz/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Example usage of "was": "It was a very nice day yesterday, wasn't it?". More examples on the page.