believe

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be·lieve

(bĭ-lēv′)

v.be·lieved,be·liev·ing,be·lieves

v.tr.

1. To accept as true or real:Do you believe the news stories?

2. To credit with veracity:I believe you.

3. To expect or suppose; think:I believe they will arrive shortly.

v.intr.

1. To have firm faith, especially religious faith.

2. To have faith, confidence, or trust:I believe in your ability to solve the problem.

3. To have confidence in the truth or value of something:We believe in free speech.

4. To have an opinion; think:They have already left, I believe.

Idioms:

believe (one's) ears

To trust what one has heard.

believe (one's) eyes

To trust what one has seen.

[Middle Englishbileven, from Old Englishbelȳfan, belēfan, gelēfan; seeleubh- inIndo-European roots.]

be·liev′er n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

believe

(bɪˈliːv)

1. (tr; may take a clause as object) to accept (a statement, supposition, or opinion) as true:I believe God exists.

2. (tr) to accept the statement or opinion of (a person) as true

3. (foll by:in) to be convinced of the truth or existence (of):to believe in fairies.

4. (intr) to have religious faith

5. (when tr, takes a clause as object) to think, assume, or suppose:I believe that he has left already.

6. (tr;foll by of; used with can, could, would,etc) to think that someone is able to do (a particular action):I wouldn't have believed it of him.

[Old Englishbeliefan]

beˈlievaˌbilityn

beˈlievableadj

beˈlievablyadv

beˈlievern

beˈlievingn,adj

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

be•lieve

(bɪˈliv)

v.-lieved, -liev•ing.v.i.

1. to have confidence in the truth, existence, reliability, or value of something.

2. to have religious faith.

v.t.

3. to have confidence or faith in the truth of: I can't believe that story.

4. to have confidence in the assertions of (a person).

5. to hold as an opinion; suppose; think: I believe they are out of town.

[1150–1200; Middle Englishbileven, late Old English belȳfan, belēfan]

be•liev`a•bil′i•ty, be•liev′a•ble•ness,n.

be•liev′a•ble,adj.

be•liev′a•bly,adv.

believe

1.'believe'

If youbelieve someone orbelieve what they say, you think that what they say is true.

I don'tbelieve you.

Don'tbelieve anything you read in that newspaper.

If youbelieve that something is true, you think that it is true.

Ibelieve some of those lakes are over a hundred feet deep.

Policebelieve that the fire was started deliberately.

Be Careful!
Believe is not used in the progressive. Don't say, for example, 'I am believing you'. You say 'Ibelieve you'.

Ibelieve that these findings should be presented to your readers.

2.'don't believe'

Instead of saying that you 'believe that something is not' true, you usually say that youdon't believe that it is true.

I justdon't believe that Alan had anything to do with it.

3.passive forms

You can say either thatit is believed that something is true, or that somethingis believed to be true. For example, you can say 'It is believed that the building is 700 years old' or 'The buildingis believed to be 700 years old'.

It is believed that two prisoners have escaped.

Thisis widely believed to be the tallest tree in England.

4.'believe in'

If youbelieve in something, you think that it exists.

I don'tbelieve in ghosts.

My children stillbelieve in Father Christmas.

If youbelieve in an idea or policy, you think it is good or right.

Webelieve in freedom of speech.

Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012

believe

Past participle:believed
Gerund:believing

Imperative
believe
believe

Present
I believe
you believe
he/she/it believes
we believe
you believe
they believe

Preterite
I believed
you believed
he/she/it believed
we believed
you believed
they believed

Present Continuous
I am believing
you are believing
he/she/it is believing
we are believing
you are believing
they are believing

Present Perfect
I have believed
you have believed
he/she/it has believed
we have believed
you have believed
they have believed

Past Continuous
I was believing
you were believing
he/she/it was believing
we were believing
you were believing
they were believing

Past Perfect
I had believed
you had believed
he/she/it had believed
we had believed
you had believed
they had believed

Future
I will believe
you will believe
he/she/it will believe
we will believe
you will believe
they will believe

Future Perfect
I will have believed
you will have believed
he/she/it will have believed
we will have believed
you will have believed
they will have believed

Future Continuous
I will be believing
you will be believing
he/she/it will be believing
we will be believing
you will be believing
they will be believing

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been believing
you have been believing
he/she/it has been believing
we have been believing
you have been believing
they have been believing

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been believing
you will have been believing
he/she/it will have been believing
we will have been believing
you will have been believing
they will have been believing

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been believing
you had been believing
he/she/it had been believing
we had been believing
you had been believing
they had been believing

Conditional
I would believe
you would believe
he/she/it would believe
we would believe
you would believe
they would believe

Past Conditional
I would have believed
you would have believed
he/she/it would have believed
we would have believed
you would have believed
they would have believed

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Verb	1.	believe - accept as true; take to be true; "I believed his report"; "We didn't believe his stories from the War"; "She believes in spirits" understand,infer - believe to be the case; "I understand you have no previous experience?" swallow - believe or accept without questioning or challenge; "Am I supposed to swallow that story?" buy - accept as true; "I can't buy this story" believe - follow a credo; have a faith; be a believer; "When you hear his sermons, you will be able to believe, too" accept - consider or hold as true; "I cannot accept the dogma of this church"; "accept an argument" rely,trust,swear,bank - have confidence or faith in; "We can trust in God"; "Rely on your friends"; "bank on your good education"; "I swear by my grandmother's recipes" believe in - have a firm conviction as to the goodness of something; "John believes in oat bran" disbelieve,discredit - reject as false; refuse to accept
	2.	believe - judge or regard; look upon; judge; "I think he is very smart"; "I believe her to be very smart"; "I think that he is her boyfriend"; "The racist conceives such people to be inferior" think,conceive,consider hold - remain committed to; "I hold to these ideas" pass judgment,evaluate,judge - form a critical opinion of; "I cannot judge some works of modern art"; "How do you evaluate this grant proposal?" "We shouldn't pass judgment on other people" rethink - change one's mind; "He rethought his decision to take a vacation" think - dispose the mind in a certain way; "Do you really think so?" look upon,regard as,repute,take to be,esteem,look on,think of - look on as or consider; "she looked on this affair as a joke"; "He thinks of himself as a brilliant musician"; "He is reputed to be intelligent" feel - have a feeling or perception about oneself in reaction to someone's behavior or attitude; "She felt small and insignificant"; "You make me feel naked"; "I made the students feel different about themselves" consider,regard,view,reckon,see - deem to be; "She views this quite differently from me"; "I consider her to be shallow"; "I don't see the situation quite as negatively as you do"
	3.	believe - be confident about something; "I believe that he will come back from the war" trust anticipate,expect - regard something as probable or likely; "The meteorologists are expecting rain for tomorrow"
	4.	believe - follow a credo; have a faith; be a believer; "When you hear his sermons, you will be able to believe, too" faith,religion,religious belief - a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny; "he lost his faith but not his morality" believe - accept as true; take to be true; "I believed his report"; "We didn't believe his stories from the War"; "She believes in spirits" misbelieve - hold a false or unorthodox belief
	5.	believe - credit with veracity; "You cannot believe this man"; "Should we believe a publication like the National Enquirer?" credit - have trust in; trust in the truth or veracity of

believe

verb

1.think,consider,judge,suppose,maintain,estimate,imagine,assume,gather,guess(informal, chiefly U.S. & Canad.),reckon,conclude,deem,speculate,presume,conjecture,postulate,surmiseI believe you have something of mine.

2.accept,hold,buy(slang),trust,credit,depend on,rely on,swallow(informal),count on,buy into(slang),have faith in,swear by,be certain of,be convinced of,place confidence in,presume true,take as gospel,take on(U.S.)Don't believe what you read in the papers.
acceptquestion,doubt,distrust,disbelieve

believe in someonetrust in,have faith in,place reliance on,place your trust in,pin your faith on,place confidence inIf you believe in yourself you can succeed.

believe in somethingadvocate,champion,approve of,swear byHe believed in marital fidelity.

Quotations
"To believe with certainty we must begin with doubting" [Stanislaus I of PolandMaxims]
"Man can believe the impossible, but man can never believe the improbable" [Oscar WildeThe Decay of Lying]
"We can believe what we choose. We are answerable for what we choose to believe" [Cardinal NewmanLetter to Mrs William Froude]
"It is necessary to the happiness of man that he be mentally faithful to himself. Infidelity does not consist in believing, or in disbelieving, it consists in professing to believe what one does not believe" [Thomas PaineThe Age of Reason]
"Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe"Bible: St. John
"Though ye believe not me, believe the works"Bible: St. John

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

believe

verb

1.To regard (something) as true or real:

accept.

Slang:buy,swallow.

2.To have confidence in the truthfulness of:

credit,trust.

Idiom:take at one's word.

3.To have an opinion:

consider,deem,hold,opine,think.

Informal:figure,judge.

Idiom:be of the opinion.

4.To view in a certain way:

feel,hold,sense,think.

5.To regard in an appraising way:

repute,suppose,think.

phrasal verb
believe in

To place trust or confidence in:

bank on (or upon),count on (or upon),depend on (or upon),reckon on (or upon),rely on (or upon),trust (in).

Translations

اعتقدامن بيُؤْمِنُيَثِقُ بِكَلاميَحْسُبُ

věřitdomnívat sedůvěřovatmyslit

tromeneregne med

glauben meinen

πιστεύω λογαριάζω

creercreer (que)entender opinarpensar (que)

olla jotain mieltäuskoa

croire estimer penser accroire

mislitismatrativjerovati

halda, álítatreysta, trúa átrúa, leggja trúnaî á

credere crédere credibile credo prestar fede

信じる信仰する判断する

믿다생각하다...을 믿다간주하다

credo

įtikėtinaslaikyti reikalingupasitikėjimastikėjimastikėti kuo

domātticētuzskatītuzticēties

geloven rekenen

tro mene synes

przypuścić uwierzyć

acreditar calcular crer

верить поверить считать полагать думать

mislitipretvarjati severjeti

räkna uttro

เชื่อเลื่อมใส ศรัทธาคิดว่า พิจารณาว่า ถือว่า

inanmaksanmakzannetmekdüşünmek güvenmek

nghĩ làtintin tưởng

相信笃信宗教认为信任猜想

believe

[bɪˈliːv]

A.VT

1. (=think) →creer
I believe so →creo que sí
I believe not →creo que no
he is believed to be abroad →secree que estáen el extranjero

2. [+story, evidence, person] →creer
don't you believe it! →¡no te locreas!
believe it or not, she bought it →aunqueparezca mentira, locompró
it was hot, believe (you) me →hacía calor, ¡y cómo!
I couldn't believe my eyes →no podíadar crédito a mis ojos
do you really believe the threat? →¿crees de veras en la amenaza?
I would never have believed it of him →jamás le hubieracreído capaz de eso

B.VI →creer
to believe in God →creer enDios
I don't believe in corporal punishment →no soypartidario del castigo corporal
we don't believe in drugs →noaprobamos eluso de las drogas

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

believe

[bɪˈliːv]

vt [+person, thing] →croire
I don't believe you →Je ne tecrois pas.
believe it or not →vous mecroirez si vous voulez
would you believe it! →vousrendez-vous compte?
believe you me →croyez-moi
I couldn't believe my eyes →je n'encroyais pas mesyeux
I couldn't believe my ears →je n'encroyais pas mesoreilles

vi →croire
to believe in [+God] →croire en; [+ghosts] →croire à
Do you believe in ghosts? →Tucrois auxfantômes?; [+method] →croire à
I don't believe in corporal punishment
BUTJe ne suis pas partisan des châtiments corporels.
to be believed to be ...
He is believed to be abroad →Il serait à l'étranger.
to believe (that) ... (=think) →croire que ...,penser que ...
to believe in sb →croire en qn,avoir confiance en qn
to believe in o.s. →avoirconfiance en soi

believe

sth →glauben;sb →glauben(+dat);I don’tbelieve you →dasglaube ich (Ihnen)nicht;don’t youbelieve it →wersglaubt,wird selig(inf);it’s true, pleasebelieve me →esstimmt, bitteglauben Sie mir das;believe me, I mean it →glauben Sie mir, es ist mirernstorErnst;believe you me!(inf) →das können Sie mirglauben!;believe it or not →ob Siesglauben odernicht;would youbelieve it!(inf) →ist das (denn) dieMöglichkeit(inf);I would never havebelieved it of him →das hätte ichnie von ihmgeglaubt;he could hardlybelieve his eyes/ears →ertraute seinenAugen/Ohren nicht;if he is to bebelieved →wenn man ihmglauben darforGlauben schenken kann

(= think) →glauben;he isbelieved to be ill →esheißt, dass erkrank ist;Ibelieve so/not →ichglaube schon/nicht?make-believe

vi(= have a religious faith) →anGott glauben;you mustbelieve! →Sie müssenglauben!

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

believe

[bɪˈliːv]

1.vt (story, person) →credere a
to believe (that) (be of the opinion that) →credere (che)
I don't believe he'll come →noncredo cheverràor chevenga
don't you believe it! →non crederci!
I don't believe a word of it! →noncredo a unaparola di tutto questo!
he is believed to be abroad →sipensa (che) sia all'estero

2.vi →credere
to believe in (God) →credere in (ghosts) →credere a (method) →avere fiducia in
I don't believe in corporal punishment →sonocontrario allepunizioni corporali

believe

(biˈliːv) verb

1. to regard (something) as true.I believe his story. glo يُصَدِّق вярвам acreditar věřitglauben tro på πιστεύω κτ. ως αληθινόcreer uskuma باور کردن uskoacroire לְהַאֲמִין विश्वास करना vjerovati hisz mempercayai trúa, leggja trúnað ácredere 信じる (어떤 것을) 믿다 tikėti ticēt percayageloventrowierzyć کروهه acreditar a credeверить veriť verjeti verovati tro [på] เชื่อว่าจริงinanmak 相信 вірити یقین کرنا công nhận相信

2. to trust (a person), accepting what he says as true.I believe you. glo يَثِقُ بِكَلام вярвам confiar důvěřovatglauben tro påεμπιστεύομαι, πιστεύω κπ.creer uskuma اطمینان کردن؛ باور داشتن luottaacroire לְהַאֲמִין मानना vjerovati bízik percaya treysta, trúa ácredere 信用する (남을) 믿다 tikėti uzticēties percayageloventrowierzyć باور لرل acreditar a credeдоверять dôverovať verjeti verovati tro [på] เชื่อgüvenmek 信任 довіряти بھروسہ کرنا tin tưởng信任

3. to think (that).I believe he's ill. glo يَعْتَقِد мисля achar domnívat se, mysletglauben mene; tro νομίζω ότιcreer,pensar arvama پنداشتن؛ فکر کردن luullacroire לְהַאֲמִין समझना misliti, držati gondol mengira halda, álítacredere ～と思う 생각하다 manyti domāt; uzskatīt fikirgelovenmene,troprzypuszczać نظریه achar a crede (că)полагать myslieť misliti smatrati tro คิด sanmak, zannetmek 認為 думати, гадати کا خیال ہونا ، سوچنا tưởng认为

beˈlievable adjective

geloofbaar قابِل للتَّصْديق правдоподобен acreditável uvěřitelnýglaubhaft troværdigπιστευτόςcreíble usutav باورکردنی uskottavacroyableאמין विश्वसनीय, विश्वास योग्य vjerojatan (el)hihető bisa dipercaya trúanlegurcredibile 信じられる 믿을 수 있는 įtikėtinas ticams boleh dipercayaigeloofwaardigtroverdig,troligwiarygodny د منلو وړ acreditável credibilправдоподобный uveriteľný verjeten verovatan trolig, trovärdig ที่น่าเชื่อถือ inanılır 可信的 ймовірний, правдоподібний قابل یقین có thể tin được可信任的

beˈlief (-f) noun

1. faith or trust.I have no belief in his ability. geloof تَصْديق، ثِقَـه вяра crença důvěra der Glaube troπίστη,εμπιστοσύνηconfianza,fe usk, usaldus اعتقاد؛ ایمان uskofoi,confianceאמונה विश्वास povjerenje hit, bizalom keyakinan tiltrú, traustfiducia 信念 신념, 확신 (pasi)tikėjimas ticība; uzticība kepercayaangelooftrozaufanie منل، ایمان لرلcrença credinţă, încredereвера,доверие viera, dôvera zaupanje verovanje tro, tilltro, förtroende ความเชื่อgüven,inanç 相信，信任 віра, довіра یقین ، بھروسہ ، اعتماد sự tin tưởng相信

2. (often in plural) something believed.Christian beliefs. geloof إيمان убеждение credo víra der Glaube tro; læreπεποίθηση,πιστεύωcreencia uskumus باور uskomuscroyanceאמונה आस्था vjerovanje hit kepercayaan trú, átrúnaðurcredenza 信仰 신앙, 교리 tikėjimas pārliecība; ticība kepercayaangelooftro,lære wierzenie ایمان، عقیده credo credinţăвера,верование viera vera uverenje tro, trossats ความศรัทธาinanç,iman, inanış 信仰 віра, вірування عقیدہ ، ایمان tín ngưỡng信仰

beˈliever noun

a person who has (especially religious) beliefs.a true believer. gelowige مُؤْمِن вярващ crente věřící der/die Gläubige troende ο πιστός, οπαδός μιας θρησκείαςcreyente usklik معتقد؛ با ایمان uskova croyant/-anteמאמין धार्मिक विश्वास रखने वाला vjernik hívő orang beriman, penganut trúmaðurcredente 信者 믿는 사람 tikintysis ticīgais penganutgelovigetroende,tilhengerwierzący منونکی، مومن crente credinciosверующий veriaci vernik vernik troende [person] ผู้ที่เชื่อถือ inanan,mümin 信仰者 віруючий ایل ایمان ، عقیدت مند tín đồ信仰者

believe in

to accept the existence or recognize the value of (something).Do you believe in ghosts?;He believes in capital punishment. glo يُؤْمِن (بِوُجود) вярвам в acreditar em věřit v glauben an tro på πιστεύω σε κτ. creer en uskuma اعتقاد داشتن؛ ایمان داشتن hyväksyä jnk olemassaolocroire לְהַאֲמִין में विश्वास रखना या आस्था रखना vjerovati u nešto hisz vmiben mempercayai trúa ácredere ～を信じる ...의 존재를 믿다, (어떤) 가치를 인정하다 tikėti kuo, laikyti reikalingu ticēt; būt pārliecinātam percayageloven intro på;se verdien avwierzyć باور کول acreditar em a crede în верить в veriť v verjeti (v) verovati u tro på เชื่อในเรื่องinanmak 相信...的存在，認同…的價值 вірити у що تقین رکھنا ، ایمان لانا ، ماننا tin vào 信仰，相信......的存在/价值

believe

→يُؤْمِنُ,يَحْسُبُ,يُصَدِّقُ domnívat se, věřit regne med, troglauben,meinenλογαριάζω,πιστεύωcreer,opinar olla jotain mieltä, uskoacroire,penser misliti, smatrati, vjerovaticalcolare,credere 信じる, 信仰する, 判断する ...을 믿다, 간주하다, 믿다geloven,rekenensynes,troprzypuścić,uwierzyćacreditar,calcular,crerверить,считать räkna ut, tro เชื่อ, เลื่อมใส ศรัทธา, คิดว่า พิจารณาว่า ถือว่าdüşünmek,inandırmak,inanmak nghĩ là, tin, tin tưởng猜想,相信,笃信宗教

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You maybelieve that such-and-such a horse will win the Derby.

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To him it meant the Church of England, and not tobelieve in its tenets was a sign of wilfulness which could not fail of punishment here or hereafter.

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"Remember my words: `If you return home safely, I shallbelieve God has forgiven you, and I will forgive you also.'"

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Often after dark, when I was pulling the bellows for Joe, and we were singing Old Clem, and when the thought how we used to sing it at Miss Havisham's would seem to show me Estella's face in the fire, with her pretty hair fluttering in the wind and her eyes scorning me, - often at such a time I would look towards those panels of black night in the wall which the wooden windows then were, and would fancy that I saw her just drawing her face away, and wouldbelieve that she had come at last.

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To me the convalescent would it now be suffering and torment tobelieve in such phantoms: suffering would it now be to me, and humiliation.

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She would not wound the feelings of her sister on any account, and yet to say what she did notbelieve was impossible.

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The disseminators of this tale are the accusers whom I dread; for their hearers are apt to fancy that such enquirers do notbelieve in the existence of the gods.

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He felt himself a king, not because he believed that he had made an impression on Anna--he did not yetbelieve that,--but because the impression she had made on him gave him happiness and pride.

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"And thou art more foolish and unreasonable than a little child, who, playing with the parts of a skillfully made watch, dares to say that, as he does not understand its use, he does notbelieve in the master who made it.

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"Youbelieve then," he said, "after a moment's pause, "that the poison was intended for me?"

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"Ibelieve that I remember it," he said; "you were a mournful-looking object in a very soiled pinafore and most untidy hair."

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It was a hazardous enterprise both for him and for her, but he thought it necessary to consult with her on the subject of her projected departure, if not to calm her apprehensions respecting his health, and the worst result was a slight relapse of his illness, for no one knew of the visit but the inmates of the old Hall, except myself; and Ibelieve it had not been his intention to mention it to me, for when I came to see him the next day, and observed he was not so well as he ought to have been, he merely said he had caught cold by being out too late in the evening.

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