Crossword Dictionary
BELIEVe
believe - v
accept as true; take to be true; "I believed his report"; "We didn't believe his stories from the War"; "She believes in spirits"
Synonyms
accept, admit, conclude, consider, have, hold, regard, suppose, think, trust, understand, accredit, affirm, buy, conceive, credit, deem, posit, postulate, presuppose, swallow
Examples
After reading my arguments, you may or may not believe the future I describe is inevitable, as I say it is.
In this chapter, I offer forty-three developments, dynamics, and new realities I believe will work together to bring about an end to war.
He had enough alcohol in his veins to believe he could drive, and too much pride to leave the party in the passenger seat.
Etymology
Middle English bileven, from Old English belyfan "to have faith or confidence" (in a person), earlier geleafa (Mercian), gelefa (Northumbrian), gelyfan (West Saxon), from Proto-Germanic *ga-laubjan "to believe," perhaps literally "hold dear (or valuable, or satisfactory), to love" (source also of Old Saxon gilobian "believe," Dutch geloven, Old High German gilouben, German glauben), ultimately a compound based on PIE root *leubh- "to care, desire, love" (see belief).