What does “believe” mean?
- 1
verbto think that something is true
I believe she is telling the truth.
- 2
verbbelieve in: to be sure that something exists or is good
Do you believe in ghosts?
Believe at a glance
- Part of speech
- verb
- CEFR level
- A1 (beginner)
- Pronunciation
- /bɪˈliv/ · bih-LEEV
How to use “believe” correctly
“Believe” is not normally used in continuous tenses: “I believe you”, not “I am believing you”.
Common phrases with “believe”
- believe in
- hard to believe
- believe it or not
Synonyms, opposites and related words
Antonyms (opposite meaning)
- doubt
Word family
- belief
- believable
- unbelievable
“believe” is on these word lists
Learn these words next
- agree verbA1to have the same opinion as someone
- choose verbA1to decide which one you want from a group of things or people
- forget verbA1to not remember something
- know verbA1to have information about something in your mind
- remember verbA1to keep or bring back information or an experience in your mind
- see verbA1to notice people and things with your eyes
- think verbA1to have an opinion or believe something
- understand verbA1to know the meaning of something