believe. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

believe

SYLLABICATION:	be·lieve
PRONUNCIATION:	b-lv
VERB:	Inflected forms: be·lieved, be·liev·ing, be·lieves
TRANSITIVE VERB:	1. To accept as true or real: Do you believe the news stories? 2. To credit with veracity: I believe you. 3. To expect or suppose; think: I believe they will arrive shortly.
INTRANSITIVE VERB:	1. To have firm faith, especially religious faith. 2. To have faith, confidence, or trust: I believe in your ability to solve the problem. 3. To have confidence in the truth or value of something: We believe in free speech. 4. To have an opinion; think: They have already left, I believe.
IDIOMS:	believe (one's) ears To trust what one has heard. believe (one's) eyes To trust what one has seen.
ETYMOLOGY:	Middle English bileven, from Old English belfan, belfan, gelfan. See leubh- in Appendix I.
OTHER FORMS:	be·liever —NOUN


The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.