Definition of "were" []

• Second person singular and plural and first and third person plural past indicative of be. (verb)
• Past subjunctive of be. See Usage Notes at if, wish. (verb)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Atsiko, those books were all published by big houses, so by definition, they *were* ready for publication."
• "It was July and the hives were full of decanting honey and the _tomeguines _were in full bloom in the fields and on the floor of the pine forests."
• "“What were they thinking?” has become something of a cliche, but honestly, what * were* they thinking?"