believe

verb

bə-ˈlēv How to pronounce believe (audio)
Definition of believenext
1
as in to accept
to regard as right or true only the most naive car buyer would have believed the salesman's claim that the dealership was actually losing money on the deal

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to think
to have as an opinion despite the horrors she witnessed and endured, Anne Frank steadfastly believed that "people are really good at heart"

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of believe Does anyone believe that a new chief of staff, with an untested relationship with Trump, would survive any longer than an Apprentice contestant? — Chris Whipple, Vanity Fair, 19 Oct. 2026 Lowery believes she was strip-searched as a part of the process. — Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 19 Oct. 2026 Investigators believe the attackers had scouted Shroff’s routine. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 19 Oct. 2026 China is believed to operate at least six of these boats, which can carry JL-2 missiles and potentially the newer JL-3 missile, a weapon with enough range to strike parts of the United States from waters near China. — Muskan Bhatia, Interesting Engineering, 19 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for believe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for believe
  1. accept
  2. think
  3. understand
  4. guess
  5. take
  6. imagine
  7. trust
  8. consider
Verb
  • Rather than accept his acclaim, a boozy Lee gets on stage and immediately tears into the crowd for being sellouts.
    — Michael Schneider, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026
  • All donations are tax-deductible and can be made through its online zakat-giving portal, which accepts recurring and one-time payments as high as $10,000 or amounts of one’s choosing.
    — Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of accept
Verb
  • After writing the first episode of Season 2, Harjo immediately thought of Jones for the part as Lee’s father.
    — Michael Schneider, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Internally, the company thinks of itself as having the heft of a Lionsgate or even a Sony.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of think
Verb
  • But the really impactful part is understanding the function and developing it into a tool.
    — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The committee isn’t fully aware of the muddy bog in which Taverner is currently sinking, but Lamb is starting to understand the shape of it.
    — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of understand
Verb
  • That Bell was the inspiration for Sherlock Holmes was still known to only a handful of people, including Robert Louis Stevenson, who had by then guessed the truth.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2026
  • To keep potentially sensitive information from being accessible to unintended people, the URLs typically contain a long sequence of text that can’t be easily guessed.
    — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of guess
Verb
  • In a statement posted to Facebook, the Wichita Police Department asked anyone with video of the incident to upload it so investigators could take a look.
    — Dennis Romero, NBC news, 18 Oct. 2026
  • In addition to the return of her property, Omar's attorneys are demanding that the Justice Department preserve any audio and video that was taken during the search, according to the letter.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of take
Verb
  • Yet their willingness to talk, listen, and imagine what had seemed impossible helped lay the groundwork for historic nuclear arms reductions.
    — Halla Tómasdóttir, Time, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The sense that a resume goes straight into a black box isn’t imagined – applications per job have more than doubled since 2022, and the average company now has 56% fewer recruiters to review them.
    — Owen Humphries, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of imagine
Verb
  • Some allegedly trusted him with significant amounts of money.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The scoring potential in this game may be tempting, but Loveland is difficult to trust until his role becomes more consistent.
    — Jonathan Rubin, Charlotte Observer, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of trust
Verb
  • Legislators in at least 30 states have considered pricing bills this year, including measures addressing algorithmic and personalized pricing, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Changing expectations or considering proposals without comparable information undermines confidence in both the process and its recommendations.
    — Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of consider

Phrases Containing believe

Browse Nearby Words

believably
believe
believed
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Cite this Entry

“Believe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/believe. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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