be‧lieve S1 W1 / bəliv, bɪliv / 动词
1 [及物动词，不用于进行时] to be sure that something is true or that someone is telling the truth :
You shouldn’t believe everything you read.
I believed him, even though his story sounded unlikely.
believe (that)
I don’t believe he’s only 25.
I don’t believe a word of it (= I think it is completely untrue ) .
2 [及物动词，不用于进行时] to think that something is true or possible, although you are not completely sure
believe (that)
Detectives believe that the victim knew his killer.
it is believed (that)
It is believed that the house was built in 1735.
believe so (= think that something is true )
‘Have they arrived yet?’ ‘Yes, I believe so.’
be believed to be something
At 115, Mrs Jackson is believed to be the oldest person in the country.
The four men are widely believed (= believed by a lot of people ) to have been killed by their captors.
Did you honestly believe that I’d be stupid enough to do that?
I firmly believe that the business will be a success.
3 it’s difficult/hard to believe (that) used when you are surprised that something is true :
Sometimes, it’s hard to believe we’ve been married for 50 years. SPOKEN PHRASES
4 can’t/don’t believe something used when you are very surprised or shocked by something :
I can’t believe he’s expecting us to work on Sunday!
I couldn’t believe it when he told me what had happened.
can hardly/scarcely believe something
I could scarcely believe my luck.
5 believe it or not used when you are saying something that is true but surprising :
He enjoys school, believe it or not.
6 would you believe it! ( also I don’t believe it! ) used when you are surprised or angry about something :
And then he just walked out. Would you believe it!
7 believe (you) me used to emphasize that something is definitely true :
There’ll be trouble when they find out about this, believe you me!
8 you’d better believe it! used to emphasize that something is true
9 don’t you believe it! used to emphasize that something is definitely not true
10 can’t believe your eyes/ears used to say that someone is very surprised by something they see or hear
11 if you believe that, you’ll believe anything used to say that something is definitely not true, and that anyone who believes it must be stupid
12 seeing is believing ( also I’ll believe it when I see it ) used to say that you will only believe that something happens or exists when you actually see it
13 [不及物动词] to have a religious faith :
She says those who believe will go to heaven.
→ make believe at make 1 ( 19 )
THESAURUS
to believe something
believe to be sure that something is true or that someone is telling the truth : I believed her when she said that she loved me. | Don’t believe anything he tells you.
accept to believe that something is true, especially because someone has persuaded you to believe it : His wife accepted his explanation for why he was late. | Leah had slowly come to accept her brother’s version of events.
take sb’s word for it especially spoken to believe what someone says is true, even though you have no proof or experience of it : I don’t know anything about him, so I’ll just have to take your word for it. | You don’t have to take my word for it – go and see for yourself. | ‘Cakes are very easy to make.’ ‘I’ll take your word for it.’
give somebody the benefit of the doubt to believe what someone says, even though you think it might not be true : Unless you have proof, you should give him the benefit of the doubt.
to believe something that is untrue
be taken in ( also fall for something informal ) to be tricked into believing something that is not true : A lot of people were taken in by these claims. | I can’t believe she fell for that old excuse!
swallow informal to believe a story or explanation that is not true, especially when this makes you seem silly : His aunt had swallowed his story unquestioningly. | Police refused to swallow his story, and put him in a cell.
believe in somebody/something 短语动词
1 to be sure that someone or something exists :
Do you believe in God?
2 to think that something is effective or right :
I don’t believe in these diets.
believe in doing something
The school believes in letting children learn at their own pace.
3 to trust someone and be confident that they will be successful :
The people want a president they can believe in.
Believe in yourself, or you’ll never succeed.