believe
gb/bɪlˈiv/ us/bɪlˈiv/
A2
English
~ 300
Senses
0 senses
Verb
A2
action
1
Accept something as true
To think that something is true.
Usage pattern:
to believe [something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'believe' with 'think' in all cases. 'Believe' is more about accepting truth, while 'think' is about having an opinion.
Synonyms
accept (Focuses on agreeing that something is true without necessarily feeling strongly about it.)
Antonyms
doubt (Means to feel uncertain about whether something is true.)
Collocations
firmly believe
|truly believe
|believe strongly
|believe wholeheartedly
Themes
thinking
|truth
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- I believe her explanation about what happened.
- Many scientists believe the climate is changing rapidly.
- He believes the rumors without checking the facts.
- They believe the story because it came from a trusted source.
Learner examples
- I believe your words.
- She believes the news.
- They believe the story.
- We believe his answer.
Verb
A2
action
2
Have trust or faith in
To trust someone or something.
Usage pattern:
to believe in [someone/something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes omit 'in' when talking about trust, saying 'I believe you' when they mean 'I believe in you'. These have different meanings.
Synonyms
trust (Implies reliance on someone's reliability or honesty.)
Antonyms
mistrust (Means to have no trust or confidence in someone or something.)
Collocations
believe in yourself
|believe in miracles
|believe in justice
Themes
trust
|relationships
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- I believe in my team's ability to win.
- She believes in her children and supports their dreams.
- They believe in freedom of speech.
- We all need to believe in ourselves.
Learner examples
- I believe in you.
- She believes in her friends.
- They believe in love.
- We believe in our school.
Verb
A2
action
3
Think something exists
To think something is real, even without proof.
Usage pattern:
to believe in [something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse this with trusting someone. 'Believe in God' means you think God exists, not that you trust God.
Synonyms
accept the existence of (A more formal way to say you think something exists.)
Antonyms
disbelieve (To reject the idea that something exists.)
Collocations
believe in ghosts
|believe in God
|believe in aliens
Themes
beliefs
|religion
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Do you believe in life on other planets?
- Many people believe in God.
- Some children still believe in Santa Claus.
Learner examples
- I believe in God.
- She believes in Santa Claus.
- They believe in ghosts.
Verb
A2
action
4
Be convinced by someone's words
To think what someone says is true.
Usage pattern:
to believe [someone]
Common mistake:
'Believe someone' means you think their words are true. It is different from 'believe in someone', which means you trust their ability or character.
Synonyms
trust (In this case, specifically trusting the truth of someone's words.)
Antonyms
disbelieve (Refusing to accept what someone says as true.)
Collocations
hard to believe someone
|easily believe someone
Themes
communication
|trust
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- I can't believe you after what happened last time.
- We believed him when he said he was innocent.
- Do you really believe her? She has lied before.
Learner examples
- I believe you.
- She believes him.
- They believe her words.
Grammar
Dictionary form
believe
IPA
GB/bɪlˈiv/
US/bɪlˈiv/
Syllables & stress
be - lieve (2 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (lieve)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: believe
- 3rd Person Singular: believes
- Present Participle: believing
- Past: believed
Word family
Forms
believes
verb
believing
verb
believed
verb
Negative and opposite forms
Advanced or less common
believability
noun
believably
adverb C1
Expressions
believe it or not
1/bɪlˈiv ˈɪt ˈɔɹ nˈɑt/
fixed phrase
Surprising but true statement
Used to say that what follows is surprising but true.
Examples
- Believe it or not, he has never used a smartphone.
- Believe it or not, she ran the marathon without training.
believe you me
1/bɪlˈiv jˈu mˈi/
idiom
informal
Emphasize truth of statement
Used to tell someone that what you are saying is really true.
Examples
- Believe you me, this job is harder than it looks.
- Believe you me, you don't want to miss this opportunity.
can't believe one's eyes/ears
1/kˈænt bɪlˈiv wˈʌnz isˈɛɹz/
idiom
informal
Extremely surprised by sight or sound
To be very surprised by what you see or hear.
Examples
- I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the price of the car.
- She couldn't believe her ears when they told her the news.
make believe
1/mˈeɪk bɪlˈiv/
fixed phrase
Pretend for fun
To pretend something is real as part of a game or story.
Examples
- The children were making believe they were pirates.
- Let's make believe we're astronauts exploring space.