believe

be·lieve (bə lēv′, bē-)

transitive verb -·lieved′, -·liev′·ing

Etymology: ME bileven < bi, be- + -leven, contr. < ileven < OE geliefan < IE base *leubh-, to like, desire > love, lief, L libido

intransitive verb

be·liev′·able adjective be·liev′·abil′·ity noun be·liev′·ably adverb be·liev′er noun

To accept as true
accept, hold, think, conclude, have faith, be convinced, be certain, be confident, deem, understand, regard, take at one's word, consider, affirm, maintain, be of the opinion, postulate, opine, conceive, give credence to, credit, have no doubt, feel sure, rest assured, swear by, take one's word for, cherish a belief, nurture a belief, keep the faith, be credulous, entertain a belief, hold a belief, attach some weight to, take stock in, put stock in, take on faith, take as gospel, doubt not, buy*, swallow*. *
Antonyms doubt, deny*, suspect. *
To assume
suppose, guess, gather; see assume 1.

Object

everything: I have had enough of people believing everything I say is a lie.
everyone: Do you believe that everyone you know has been affected by the Second World War?
hype: I can't believe the hype about this unremarkable film about a remarkable story.
anything: I believe anything sung " musically " , will almost always encourage a " head tone " , quite naturally.
anyone: However hard it is to believe, anyone who wished to attend could do so.
truth: Do you believe that truth is stranger than fiction?

Preposition: that

government: Those who do not believe that the British Government is capable of such infamy may be tempted to vent their anger on the messenger.
person: We believe that no person has the right to end life.

Modifying Another Word

firmly: He is also a proud man who firmly believes he can engineer happiness for his family by sheltering them from his own emotions.
strongly: It is possible to forget even things you strongly believe in.

Used with why or when

that: We were determined to reach a fair settlement for the taxpayer, and I believe that has now been achieved.
what: You won't believe what I'll do to make my upcoming book a best seller.
when: Duty faith tries to lay on men an obligation to believe when they cannot, and a warrant to believe what they know not.

Infinitive complement

have: King Henry VIII, however, is believed to have been a keen player.

Preposition: in

resurrection: Whether or not you believe in an after life, why might people want to believe in resurrection?
evolution: However, I can't believe in an intelligent designer or creator, so I'll have to believe in evolution.
freedom: Do you believe in freedom of speech and contract, and oppose the race laws because they abridge this freedom?
importance: B.U.T. believes in the importance of working with our customers so that they can obtain the performance that is expected from the B.U.T. turkey.
devil: You then say, " but you can't believe in an objective devil - a real supernatural being with mind and purpose!
faith: We may disclose user information when we believe in good faith that the law requires it.

Browse dictionary entries near believe