believe

1. (transitive) To accept as true, particularly without absolute certainty (i.e., as opposed to knowing).
2. (transitive) To accept that someone is telling the truth.
3. (intransitive) To have religious faith; to believe in a greater truth.
4. (transitive) To opine, think, reckon.
5. [with in]
6. [with in]
7. [with in]

Pronounced as (IPA)

/bɪˈliːv/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: beleven

Inherited from Old English: belīefan

Cognate with Scots: beleve

Cognate with Middle Low German: belö̂ven

Cognate with Middle High German: belouben

Cognate with Old English: ġelēafa

Cognate with Old English: lēof

Cognate with English: lief

Cognate with Northern Frisian: leauwjen

Cognate with Western Frisian: leauwe

Cognate with Dutch: geloven

Cognate with German: glauben

Cognate with Gothic: 𐌲𐌰𐌻𐌰𐌿𐌱𐌾𐌰𐌽

In summary

From Middle English beleven, bileven, from Old English belīefan (“to believe”), from Proto-West Germanic *bilaubijan (“to believe”), equivalent to be- + leave (“to give leave or permission to, permit, allow, grant”). Cognate with Scots beleve (“to believe”), Middle Low German belö̂ven (“to believe”), Middle High German belouben (“to believe”).
A related term in Old English was ġelīefan (“to be dear to; believe, trust”), from Proto-West Germanic *galaubijan (“to have faith, believe”), from Proto-Germanic *galaubijaną. Compare also Old English ġelēafa (“belief, faith, confidence, trust”), Old English lēof ("dear, valued, beloved, pleasant, agreeable" > English lief). Related also to North Frisian leauwjen (“to believe”), West Frisian leauwe (“to believe”), Dutch geloven (“to believe”), German glauben (“to believe”), Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐌻𐌰𐌿𐌱𐌾𐌰𐌽 (galaubjan, “to hold dear, valuable, or satisfactory, approve of, believe”).
The prepositionally transitive senses with in are a semantic loan from Latin crēdō in aliquem / aliquid.

Synonyms

think

🤔

trust

suppose

deem

consider

have faith in

believe in

accredit

have faith

account

reckon

imagine

regard

understand

guess

rely on

suspect

surmise

judge

🧑‍⚖️

agree

credit

opine

hope

conceive

estimate

hold

conjecture

feel

confide

expect

swallow

wish

obey

infer

confide in

fancy

admit

cling to

certain

rely

repute

depend on

mean

acknowledge

belief

know

figure

assume

accept

🉑

give credence to

Translations

croire

glauben

creer

credere

geloven

acreditar

crer

πιστεύω

creure

wierzyć

achar

🔍

penser

🤔

menen

🤔

pensare

🤔

inanmak

Sentences

But the Tradition also says that we should believe the messages of the desert .

You can't believe it's not butter ?