Meaning of believe in English

believe

verb [ T ]

/bɪˈliːv/ us

/bɪˈliːv/

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to think that something is true, correct, or real:

Strangely, no one believed us when we told them we'd been visited by a creature from Mars.

[ + that ] He believes that all children are born with equal intelligence.

She's arriving tomorrow, I believe.

"Is she coming alone?" "We believe not/so (= we think she is not/is)."

[ + obj + to infinitive ] I believe her to be the finest violinist in the world.

[ + obj + adj ] All the crew are missing, believed dead.

Thesaurus: synonyms, antonyms, and examples

to believe someone or something

believeCan we believe a word of what this man says?
acceptMost people accept what the newspapers say as being correct.
creditUK It’s hard to credit that she’s 87.
swallowI personally find it hard to swallow the official narrative.
buyWhen it comes to global warming, he doesn't buy it, and is out to discredit the whole theory.

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not believe a word of it

to not believe that something is true:

He told me she was just a friend, but I don't believe a word of it!

believe it or not B1 (also would you believe it?)

said when telling someone about something that is true, although it seems unlikely:

He's upstairs doing his homework, believe it or not.

believe me

said when emphasizing that something is true:

Believe me, I was scared!

if you believe that, you'll believe anything informal

something that you say to emphasize that something is obviously not true:

He said the car in front backed into him, and if you believe that, you'll believe anything!

make believe

to pretend or imagine:

Let's make believe (that) we're pirates.

More examplesFewer examples

He claims to have met the president, but I don't believe him.
I still believe that people are fundamentally good.
I don't believe that story for a moment.
It's hard to believe there's anything wrong with him - he looks so healthy.
I don't believe they should have put him in prison. It isn't right.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Believing

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Idioms

believe something when you see it
not believe your eyes/ears
not believe your luck

Phrasal verbs

believe in something

believe in someone

(Definition of believe from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

believe | American Dictionary

believe

verb [ I/T ]

/bɪˈliv/

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to think that something is true or correct:

[ T ] One juror said he didn’t believe the policeman’s testimony.

[ + (that) clause ] She believed (that) it was wrong to censor the text.

If you believe in something, you feel that it is right:

[ I always + adv/prep ] I believe in giving a person a second chance.

If you believe in someone you have confidence in that person's abilities:

[ I always + adv/prep ] We just need to believe in ourselves.

Idioms

believe it or not
believe me
not believe your eyes

(Definition of believe from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of believe

believe

There was thus a clear awareness of a political role that he believed he has been assigned to play.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Often, however, those who believed in the possibility of transformation saw it as a threat.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Cultural activities in the region may have been greater than currently believed to be the case.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The diary was maintained by participants for only one week since it was believed longer would be taxing.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Providers identified a range of factors which they believed contributed to the inadequacy of such an approach.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The difference is produced over what one believes to be missing.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

First, they believed codification crystallized the law, preventing changes necessary in a period of rapid economic and social development.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Trusting beliefs: the extent to which the truster believes characteristics of the trustee.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Although relativist positions are getting more attention, he believes that it is crucial that research continue on universal features of language.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

He believes that it is, therefore, possible to achieve the same result with fewer sessions.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Both parties believed that they could achieve with certainty at least this outcome.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

He wanted to be serious, mistakenly believing that serious is more important than funny.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The best rock, he believes, 'simultaneously achieves a synthesis of evanescent junk and lasting beauty and sets up a conflict between them' (p. 36).

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Fourthly, he stands for professional modesty, believing that historians must accept that certain events escape their ability to explain.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Workers and their families wanted control over private space and believed in solidarity.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

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These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

What is the pronunciation of believe?