Believe — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

verb /bə-ˈlēv/ be·lieve

Meaning & Definition of Believe

Believe (verb)

  1. to consider to be true or honest —often used for emphasis
  2. to accept the word or evidence of —often used for emphasis
  3. to hold as an opinion, suppose

Believe (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to regard as right or true

    "only the most naive car buyer would have believed the salesman's claim that the dealership was actually losing money on the deal"

    similar: accept, buy, credit, swallow, take, trust, set store by
    related: account, accredit, understand, assume, presume, suppose, conclude, deduce, infer
    opposite: disbelieve, discredit, reject
    near: distrust, doubt, misdoubt, mistrust, question, suspect, challenge, dispute

  2. to have as an opinion

    "despite the horrors she witnessed and endured, Anne Frank steadfastly believed that people are really good at heart"

    similar: allow (chiefly Southern & Midland), conceive, consider, deem, esteem, feel, figure, guess, hold, imagine, judge, reckon (chiefly dialect), suppose, think
    related: regard, view, accept, perceive, depend, rely, trust, assume, presume, presuppose, surmise, conclude, deduce, infer
    near: distrust, doubt, mistrust, question, suspect, disbelieve, discredit, reject

Related Entry: Make-believe (adjective)

Make-believe is a different word from Believe. The synonyms below are for make-believe, not for believe.

  1. not real and existing only in the imagination

    "zoomed around the house in a make-believe car"

    similar: chimerical, fabulous, fanciful, fantasied, fantastic, fictional, fictitious, ideal, imaginal, imaginary, imagined, invented, made-up, mythical, notional, phantasmal, phantasmic, phantom, pretend, unreal, visionary
    related: fabled, legendary, romantic, abstract, hypothetical, theoretical, unbelievable, unconvincing, unlikely, conceived, envisaged, envisioned, pictured, visualized, daydreamlike, deceptive, delusional, delusive, hallucinatory, illusory, phantasmagoric, concocted, fabricated, feigned, fictive, inexistent, nonexistent
    opposite: actual, existent, existing, real
    near: authentic, genuine, true, factual, verifiable, verified, believable, convincing, realistic, corporeal, material, physical, solid, substantial, palpable, tangible

Related Entry: Make believe (phrase)

Make believe is a different word from Believe. The synonyms below are for make believe, not for believe.

  1. to present a false appearance of

    "He made believe he was sick to get out of going to school."

    similar: act, affect, assume, bluff, counterfeit, dissemble, fake, feign, pass (for), pretend, profess, put on, sham, simulate
    related: dissimulate, impersonate, let on, masquerade, play, playact, pose, forge, imitate, camouflage, conceal, disguise, mask, feint, malinger

Related Entry: Make-believe (noun)

Make-believe is a different word from Believe. The synonyms below are for make-believe, not for believe.

  1. as in pretense, likeness

    similar: affectation, demonstration, display, fiction, image, imitation, imposture, likeness, pose, pretense, representation, simulation, hint, implication, insinuation, resemblance, suggestion, cloak, disguise, exterior, facade, front, gloss, mask, masquerade, patina, Potemkin village, shape, shell, surface, veneer, air, effect, impression, appearance, face, guise, name, outward, seeming, semblance, show

Related Entry: Made believe (phrase)

Made believe is a different word from Believe. The synonyms below are for made believe, not for believe.

  1. to present a false appearance of

    "He made believe he was sick to get out of going to school."

    similar: acted, affected, assumed, bluffed, counterfeited, dissembled, faked, feigned, passed (for), pretended, professed, put on, shammed, simulated
    related: dissimulated, impersonated, let on, masqueraded, playacted, played, posed, forged, imitated, camouflaged, concealed, disguised, masked, feinted, malingered

Related Entry: Makes believe (phrase)

Makes believe is a different word from Believe. The synonyms below are for makes believe, not for believe.

  1. to present a false appearance of

    "He made believe he was sick to get out of going to school."

    similar: acts, affects, assumes, bluffs, counterfeits, dissembles, fakes, feigns, passes (for), pretends, professes, puts on, shams, simulates
    related: dissimulates, impersonates, lets on, masquerades, playacts, plays, poses, forges, imitates, camouflages, conceals, disguises, masks, feints, malingers

Related Entry: Making believe (phrase)

Making believe is a different word from Believe. The synonyms below are for making believe, not for believe.

  1. to present a false appearance of

    "He made believe he was sick to get out of going to school."

    similar: acting, affecting, assuming, bluffing, counterfeiting, dissembling, faking, feigning, passing (for), pretending, professing, putting on, shamming, simulating
    related: dissimulating, impersonating, letting on, masquerading, playacting, playing, posing, forging, imitating, camouflaging, concealing, disguising, masking, feinting, malingering

Related Entry: Believer (noun)

Believer is a different word from Believe. The synonyms below are for believer, not for believe.

  1. one who professes a religious faith

    "for believers, it was sufficient proof that a miracle had occurred"

    similar: religionist
    related: fundamentalist, cultist, pietist, zealot, deist, monotheist, polytheist, theist, churchgoer, communicant, congregant

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Believe

The most common words with a similar meaning to Believe:

Chiefly Southern & Midland: allow
Chiefly dialect: reckon
accept, buy, credit, swallow, take, trust, conceive, consider, deem, esteem, feel, figure, guess, hold, imagine, judge, suppose, think, set store by

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Believe

Words with the opposite meaning of Believe:

disbelieve, discredit, reject

Related Words for Believe

account, accredit, understand, assume, presume, conclude, deduce, infer, regard, view, perceive, depend, rely, presuppose, surmise

Near Antonyms of Believe

distrust, doubt, misdoubt, mistrust, question, suspect, challenge, dispute

Word Forms of Believe

Inflections: believed, believing, believes

Derived words: believer (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Believe

Middle English beleven, from Old English belēfan, from be- + lȳfan, lēfan to allow, believe; akin to Old High German gilouben to believe, Old English lēof dear love

First known use: before 12th centuryi

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Believe

Words & Phrases Containing Believe

believe in, believe it or not, believe one's eyes/ears, make believe, make-believe, not believe, a world of make-believe, can't believe

Frequently Asked Questions about Believe

What does "Believe" mean?

"Believe" means to consider to be true or honest —often used for emphasis. As a verb, it is defined as: to consider to be true or honest —often used for emphasis. It has 2 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Believe"?

Other words for "Believe" include accept, buy, credit, swallow, take, trust, allow and conceive. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Believe" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Believe"?

There are 36 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Believe". Common alternatives include accept, buy, credit, swallow, take, trust, allow, conceive, consider and deem.

What is the opposite of "Believe"?

Antonyms of "Believe" include disbelieve, discredit and reject. Near antonyms include distrust, doubt, misdoubt and mistrust.

How do you use "Believe" in a sentence?

Examples of "Believe" in a sentence: "only the most naive car buyer would have believed the salesman's claim that the dealership was actually losing money on the deal"; "despite the horrors she witnessed and endured, Anne Frank steadfastly believed that people are really good at heart".

Is "Believe" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Believe" is a verb.

Is "Believe" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As an A1-level word, "Believe" is typical of Cambridge A1 Movers (Young Learners), TOEIC Listening & Reading 120+.

How do you pronounce "Believe"?

"Believe" is pronounced /bə-ˈlēv/ and divided into syllables as be·lieve.