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believe

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verb British English pronunciation: believe /bɪˈliːv/ 
Word Forms
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present tense
I/you/we/theybelieve
he/she/itbelieves
present participlebelieving
past tensebelieved
past participlebelieved
  1. 1
    [transitive] to think that a fact is true

    Astronomers knew the Earth was round, but few people believed it.

    believe (that):

    I don’t believe that she’s ever been to Hong Kong.

    be widely/generally believed (=be believed by a lot of people):

    It is widely believed that the virus originally came from monkeys.

    find it hard/difficult to believe:

    She found it hard to believe that he was a real businessman.

    I would never have believed:

    I would never have believed such a place existed if I hadn’t seen it for myself.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  believeThesaurus entry for this meaning of believe
    1. a.
      to think that what someone has said is true

      The police didn’t believe her story.

      He told me his version of events, but I didn’t believe a word of it.

      ‘I did pay the money back!’ ‘OK, OK – I believe you!’

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  believeThesaurus entry for this meaning of believe
  2. 2
    [transitive] to have an opinion about what is true or what might happen, although there is no proof
    believe (that):

    Scientists believe a cure for the disease will be discovered soon.

    honestly/truly believe:

    I honestly believe he really loved her.

    reason to believe:

    There is no reason to believe that he is not telling the truth.

    lead someone to believe something (=make someone think something):

    We were led to believe we could make a large profit.

    believe someone (to be) something:

    His friends wouldn’t believe him to be capable of murder.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  believeThesaurus entry for this meaning of believe

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This is the British English definition of believe. View American English definition of believe.

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