1
as in lived
to have life
stories that begin with the familiar line "once upon a time there was a beautiful maiden"
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
as in happened
to take place
the party is next Saturday
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of was
There was also the possibility of the Panthers activating interior offensive lineman Chandler Zavala ahead of Saturday’s game.
—
Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 10 Jan. 2026
Years later, in June 2023, the FBI and the Department of Justice said there was no credible evidence of foul play in his death, according to a DOJ report.
—Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 10 Jan. 2026
Park hailed the resilience of the community, and how residents organized block by block when there was no roadmap for recovery, and insurance and bureaucratic processes felt impossible to navigate alone.
—City News Service, Daily News, 10 Jan. 2026
The Tuloumne County Sheriff's Office said there was an explosion due to a transformer at Engie, a neighboring facility to Pacific Ultrapower.
—Brandon Downs, CBS News, 10 Jan. 2026
There was no immediate independent corroboration of that account or of any gang affiliation of the vehicle’s occupants.
—Claire Rush, Chicago Tribune, 9 Jan. 2026
Longtime Seattle residents can remember a time in the not-so-distant past when there wasn’t much going on in South Lake Union—that was until the late Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen kickstarted development in the area earlier this century.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 9 Jan. 2026
During the weekend there was an incident which wasn’t really anyone’s fault that resulted in some minor property damage.
—R. Eric Thomas, Washington Post, 9 Jan. 2026
With the Continent in turmoil, though, there was even less appetite for transatlantic travel on the part of the European powers than there had been in 1930.
—Literary Hub, 7 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for was
Verb
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Hollywood legend Marilyn Monroe lived a storied life full of ups and downs, but one thing that remained a constant in the actress's life was her unapologetic love for fashion.—
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The neighborhood, which borders the Cape Cod Canal with breathtaking views of the Sagamore Bridge and canalway, is home to longtime residents, some of whom have lived there for over 60 years.—
Verb
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Team Russia and Kamila Valieva, who was 15 at the time, stood above them with their gold medals.—
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His tragic death took away valuable time with his grandchildren, but what John stood for will stand for generations to come.—
Verb
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Massachusetts, New York, Alabama and Mississippi also ranked near the bottom.—
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The Knights ranked second in the Big 12 last season in kickoffs, thanks to Noe Ruelas.—
Verb
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The driver that struck Riddles has not been charged with any crimes for the crash, which happened as Riddles tried to cross the road in an area that wasn't marked with a crosswalk.—
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Julia Roberts commanded attention from the red carpet to the stage, couples new and old stepped out for a glamorous date night and a few unexpected crossovers happened inside the venue.—
Verb
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Pahlavi has been outside Iran for 48 years—longer than the Islamic Republic has existed.—
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Whitney Houston broke down the stylistic barrier that existed before that might have prevented Diana Ross from getting in the past.—
Verb
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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.—
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The birthday boy and his big sister Sterling Skye, 3, each sat between one of their parents’ laps.—
Verb
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In a world of wifi and streaming, give me the reels of film that have to be carefully placed and changed.—
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The Cake Wedding cake orders are often placed later in the wedding planning process, sometimes just three weeks before the event, and can cost $540 on average, according to the Knot.—
Verb
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That came just a few days after news broke that Palantir had secured a $10 billion contract from the US Army over the next decade.—
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All five of Bednar’s outs came via strikeout on Wednesday.—
Cite this Entry
“Was.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/was. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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