Complete Definition of "believe"

English

rank|kind|form|hundred|280|believe|white|means|thus

Etymology
Old English l�fan

Pronunciation
(Received Pronunciation|UK & General American|US) IPA|/bɪ�li�v/, /b��li�v/, SAMPA|/bI"li:v/, /b@"li:v/
audio|en-us-believe.ogg|Audio (US)
Hyphenation: be·lieve

Verb
en-verb|believ|ing

  1. transitive To accept that someone is telling the truth.

#:* Why did I ever believe you?

  1. transitive To accept as true.

#:* If you believe the numbers, you'll agree we need change.

  1. transitive To consider likely.

#:* I believe it might rain tomorrow.

  1. intransitive To have religious faith; to believe in a greater truth.

#:* After that night in the church, I believed.

Usage notes
The transitive verb believe and the phrasal verb believe in are similar but can have very different implications.

  • To â��believeâ�� someone or something means to accept specific pieces of information as truth: believe the news, believe the lead witness. To â��believe a complete strangerâ�� means to accept a stranger's story with little evidence.
  • To â��believe inâ�� someone or something means to place faith in that person or concept: believe in liberty, believe in God. To â��believe in one's fellow manâ�� means to place faith in mankind.

Meanings sometimes overlap. To believe in a religious text would also require affirming at least the major principles. To believe a religious text would likewise imply placing one's faith in it.

Quotations
1611 � w:King James Version of the Bible|King James Version of the Bible, s:Bible (King James)/Luke|Luke 1:1
:Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us...

Derived terms
believable
believability
believe in
believer
can you believe
disbelieve
unbelievable
unbeliever

Related terms
belief
disbelief

Translations
trans-top|to accept that someone is telling the truth (object: person)
Czech: v��it
trans-mid
trans-bottom

checktrans-top
Croatian: vjerovati
Chinese: �信 (xi�ngxìn)
Dutch: geloven
Estonian: uskuma
Finnish: uskoa, arvella
French: croire
German: glauben
Greek: θε��ή�ει
Ido: kredar
Indonesian: percaya
Italian: credere
trans-mid
Japanese: 信�� (����, shinjiru)
Khmer: KMchar|�� (jeu�)
Latin: credere
Norwegian: tro
Polish: wierzy�, s�dzi�
Portuguese: acreditar em (1); acreditar, crêr (2); acreditar em (3)
Romanian: crede
Russian: ве�и�� (verit�)
Slovene: verovati
Spanish: creer
trans-bottom

et:believe
el:believe
es:believe
fa:believe
fr:believe
gl:believe
ko:believe
io:believe
id:believe
it:believe
kk:believe
hu:believe
ja:believe
pl:believe
ru:believe
simple:believe
fi:believe
sv:believe
ta:believe
te:believe
vi:believe
tr:believe
zh:believe

Revision and Credits for"believe"
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