# believe

Pronunciation: say "bi-LEEV" US /bɪˈliv/, UK /bɪˈliːv/

## Verb

1. To think or suppose something to be the case; to hold as one's opinion.
   - Simple: To think or suppose that something is true.
   - _I believe the train leaves at noon, but check the schedule._
   - _Economists believe inflation will ease next year._
2. To accept that something is true, or that someone is telling the truth.
   - Simple: To feel sure that something is true or that a person is telling the truth.
   - _Detectives rarely believe a confession without corroborating evidence._
   - _She believes the forecast even though storms often defy prediction._
3. To regard something as right, good, or desirable, and to support it.
   - Simple: To think that something is good and worth supporting.
   - _Many parents believe in letting children make their own mistakes._
   - _He believes in second chances for everyone._
4. To hold religious faith; to accept a greater spiritual truth as real.
   - Simple: To have faith in God or a religion.
   - _After the retreat, she began to believe more deeply._
   - _He stopped believing during his college years._
5. To have confidence in the ability or power of someone or something.
   - Simple: To feel sure that someone or something can succeed.
   - _You have to believe in yourself before anyone else will._
   - _Fans believed in their team even after a losing season._
6. To accept that something exists; to hold that it is real.
   - Simple: To think that something really exists.
   - _Plenty of people believe in extraterrestrial life._
   - _She stopped believing in luck after years of hard work._

## Origin

Old English belīefan ("to believe"), which became Middle English beleven, goes back to Proto-West Germanic *bilaubijan, built from be- and a root meaning to permit or allow. Dutch geloven, German glauben, and Gothic galaubjan are relatives. Its uses with "in" copy the meaning of Latin crēdō in.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/believe (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).