wasn't

was·n't
UK/ˈwɒz.ənt/UK[ˈwɒz.n̩(ʔ)]UK[ˈwɒn.(ʔ)]US/ˈwʌz.ənt/

A form of was — Used in phrases with existential there when the semantic subject is (usually third-person) plural.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

verb

alternative wadn't · alternative warn't · alternative wudn't · alternative wunt · alternative wa'n't · alternative wan't · alternative informal nonstandard wasnt · alternative pronunciation spelling wazn't · alternative pronunciation spelling wuzn't · alternative pronunciation spelling wuzzent

  1. abbreviationauxiliarycontractionContraction of was + not.

    Yesterday, upon the stair / I met a man who wasn’t there / He wasn’t there again today / I wish, I wish he’d go away …

    1899, Hughes Mearns, Antigonish

Origin

Contraction of was + not. By surface analysis, was + -n't.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

wasn't. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wasn't

MLA

“wasn't.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wasn't. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “wasn't,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wasn't.

Source: wasn't on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.