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believe

Syllabification: (be·lieve)
Pronunciation: /biˈlēv/

Translate believe | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of believe

verb

[with object]
  • 1accept (something) as true; feel sure of the truth of:the superintendent believed Lancaster’s story [with clause]:Christians believe that Jesus rose from the dead
  • accept the statement of (someone) as true:he didn’t believe her or didn’t want to know
  • [no object] have faith, especially religious faith:there are those on the fringes of the Church who do not really believe
  • (believe something of someone) feel sure that (someone) is capable of a particular action:I wouldn’t have believed it of Lois—what an extraordinary woman!
  • 2 [with clause] hold (something) as an opinion; think or suppose:I believe we’ve already met things were not as bad as the experts believed humu-humu are, I believe, shrimp fritters (believe someone/something to be)four men were believed to be trapped

Phrases

be unable (or hardly able) to believe something

be amazed by something:I couldn’t believe what was happening Clarke could hardly believe his luck as he put the ball into the empty net

be unable (or hardly able) to believe one's eyes (or ears)

be amazed by what one sees or hears:I couldn’t believe my eyes when I opened the box

believe it or not

used to concede that a proposition or statement is surprising:believe it or not, the speaker was none other than Horace

believe me (or believe you me)

used to emphasize the truth of a statement or assertion:believe me, she is a shrewd woman

don't you believe it!

used to express disbelief in the truth of a statement:he says he is left of center, but don’t you believe it

would you believe it?

used to express surprise at something one is relating:they’re still arguing, would you believe it?

Phrasal Verbs

believe in

  • 1have faith in the truth or existence of:I believe in ghosts
  • 2be of the opinion that (something) is right, proper, or desirable:I don’t believe in censorship of the arts he didn’t believe in sex before marriage
  • 3have confidence in (a person or a course of action):he had finally begun to believe in her

Origin:

late Old English belȳfan, belēfan, alteration of gelēfan, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch geloven and German glauben, also to lief

believe in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of believe in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

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