Origin: Germanic Old English prefix
Believe has 6 different meanings across 1 category:
accept as true; take to be true
"I believed his report"
"We didn't believe his stories from the War"
"She believes in spirits"
follow a credo; have a faith; be a believer
"When you hear his sermons, you will be able to believe, too"
credit with veracity
"You cannot believe this man"
"Should we believe a publication like the National Enquirer?"
To accept as true, particularly without absolute certainty (i.e., as opposed to knowing)
"I believe he will arrive by noon, though I haven't received any confirmation yet."
In plain English: To believe means to accept something as true or real even though you cannot see it with your own eyes.
"I believe you when you say you finished your homework."
Usage: Use believe to express accepting something as true based on trust or evidence rather than direct knowledge. It often appears in phrases like "I believe it will rain" to indicate a high degree of confidence that falls short of certainty.
The word "believe" comes from Old English belīefan, which combined the prefix be- with a root meaning to give permission or leave. Essentially, its original sense was to grant someone leave of mind, allowing them to accept something as true.