believing

/bɪˈliːv/ (bre, ipa) · [bɪlˈivɪŋ] /bɪˈliːv/ (ame, ipa) · [bɪlˈivɪŋ] /bə-ˈlēv How to pronounce believe (audio)/ (ame, mw)

believing — 動詞

  • believingpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • believings3rd person singular
  • believinging-ing form
  • believingedpast simple

1. to feel sure that an idea, story, or piece of information is correct, or to feel

1.動詞及物A2
釋義

相信；認為

確信某事為真或某人說的是真話

to feel sure that an idea, story, or piece of information is correct, or to feel sure that someone is telling the truth

例句

Eli still believes that the missing keys will turn up somewhere in the kitchen.

Eli 仍然相信那串遺失的鑰匙會在廚房某個角落出現。

believe + that-clause for confident factual claim

Meera did not believe a word of the salesman's story about the broken vacuum.

Meera 一個字都不相信那名推銷員所說的吸塵器壞掉的故事。

negative form: 'not believe a word of' for total disbelief

同義詞
  • accept

    agree something is true after considering it

  • trust

    feel confident in a person, not a claim

  • buy

    informal — accept a story or excuse, often in negative form

反義詞
  • doubt

    feel unsure something is true

  • disbelieve

    feel sure something is not true

文法句型

believe + that-clause

believe + noun phrase

believe + someone

用法筆記

Frequently introduces a that-clause when stating an opinion held with confidence. The object can be the claim itself (a statement, theory) or the person making the claim.

常見錯誤

❌I am believing that he is honest.
✅I believe that he is honest.
💡stative verb; do not use the continuous form for the opinion meaning.
❌I believe in that he is honest.
✅I believe that he is honest.
💡drop the preposition before a that-clause.

2. in the negative form, to express that a claim or piece of information seems fals

2.動詞及物B1
釋義

不相信

認為某項說法不可能成立

in the negative form, to express that a claim or piece of information seems false or impossible to accept

例句

Élise could not believe that her brother had walked twenty miles in one day.

Élise 不相信她弟弟一天內走了二十英里。

could not believe + that-clause for rejecting an unlikely claim

Shirin did not believe the rumour about her neighbour selling the house.

Shirin 不相信鄰居要把房子賣掉的傳聞。

negative + noun object

同義詞
  • doubt

    feel unsure rather than fully reject

  • reject

    stronger; refuse to consider as true

  • dismiss

    treat a claim as not worth taking seriously

反義詞
  • accept

    agree that something is true

文法句型

not believe + that-clause

cannot believe + noun phrase

用法筆記

Almost always appears in the negative. Distinguishes from sense 1 only by polarity — the structure is identical, but the meaning shifts to active rejection of the claim.

常見錯誤

❌I disbelieve this story.
✅I don't believe this story.
💡'disbelieve' exists but sounds formal and stiff; native speakers prefer the negative form.

3. used to introduce a fact or event that the listener will find surprising, even t

3.動詞及物B1
釋義

說來你不信

用來引出讓聽者驚訝的真實事件

used to introduce a fact or event that the listener will find surprising, even though the speaker is sure it actually happened

例句

You won't believe this, but Imani just won a free trip to Iceland on the radio.

你一定不會相信，Imani 剛剛在電台抽中了免費的冰島之旅。

fixed informal opener 'you won't believe this, but…'

Putri walked into the cafe and, would you believe it, sat next to her old teacher.

Putri 走進咖啡店，說來你不信，竟然坐在她以前老師的旁邊。

parenthetical 'would you believe it' for storytelling

同義詞
  • guess what

    informal opener for surprising news

  • imagine

    softer, often in 'imagine my surprise…'

文法句型

you won't believe + noun/that-clause

you'd never believe + noun/that-clause

用法筆記

Distinct from sense 1 by its rhetorical function — the speaker already accepts the fact; the phrase frames it as remarkable for the listener. Common in spoken stories and casual writing.

常見錯誤

❌You won't believe that, but I saw a bear.
✅You won't believe this, but I saw a bear.
💡the fixed opener uses 'this', referring forward to what is about to be said.

4. used as an imperative to stress that the speaker is being sincere and that what

4.動詞及物B1
釋義

我跟你說

強調說話者所言屬實的口頭語

used as an imperative to stress that the speaker is being sincere and that what they are saying is genuinely true, often when the listener might doubt it

例句

Believe me, Liang has never lied to his grandparents about anything important.

我跟你說，Liang 從來沒對他祖父母說過任何重要的謊話。

'believe me' as opening emphasiser

The exam was harder than last year's, believe me.

這次考試比去年難多了，真的。

'believe me' as sentence-final emphasiser

同義詞

文法句型

believe me + sentence

believe you me + sentence

用法筆記

Imperative in form but functions as a discourse marker rather than a command. Usually appears at the start or end of the sentence it strengthens.

常見錯誤

❌Please believe me that the bus is late.
✅Believe me, the bus is late.
💡drop 'please' and 'that'; the phrase stands alone as an emphasiser.

5. used as an exclamation to show shock or frustration about something the speaker

5.動詞及物B2
釋義

不敢相信

用來感嘆眼前狀況離譜或氣人

used as an exclamation to show shock or frustration about something the speaker is in fact seeing or hearing — the disbelief is about how unfair, strange, or ridiculous the situation feels

例句

I don't believe this — the printer is jammed again right before the meeting.

真是不敢相信──開會前印表機又卡紙了。

'I don't believe this' as frustrated exclamation about a real event

Dewi looked at the empty fridge and said, 'I just don't believe it.'

Dewi 看著空蕩蕩的冰箱說：「我真是無法相信。」

intensified form 'I just don't believe it'

同義詞

文法句型

I don't believe + this/it

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 2 — here the speaker knows the situation is real and is venting, not actually denying that it happened. Usually punctuated as an exclamation in writing.

常見錯誤

❌I cannot believe this for being true.
✅I can't believe this is happening.
💡the exclamation is fixed; don't add 'for being true' or other complements.

6. in the fixed phrase 'make believe', to imagine or pretend that something is real

6.動詞及物B2
釋義

假裝；扮家家

玩耍時假想某事為真

in the fixed phrase 'make believe', to imagine or pretend that something is real, usually as part of a child's game or a playful activity

例句

The children made believe the old wooden box was a pirate ship.

孩子們假裝那個老木箱是一艘海盜船。

'make believe + noun phrase' in a play scenario

Nicholas and his sister made believe that the back garden was a jungle full of tigers.

Nicholas 和他妹妹假裝後院是充滿老虎的叢林。

'make believe + that-clause' for an imagined situation

同義詞
  • pretend

    very close synonym; broader use without 'make'

  • imagine

    weaker; thinking of something without acting it out

文法句型

make believe + that-clause

make believe + noun

用法筆記

Only appears inside the fixed phrase 'make believe'. The bare verb 'believe' on its own does not carry the 'pretend' meaning — distinguish from sense 1 by the obligatory 'make' before it.

常見錯誤

❌The children believed the box was a pirate ship.' (when they were pretending)
✅The children made believe the box was a pirate ship.
💡without 'make', the sentence reads as sense 1 (they genuinely thought so).