You can make 15 words from were according to the Scrabble US and Canada dictionary.
All 4 letters words made out of were
were ewre wree rwee erwe rewe weer ewer weer ewer eewr eewr wree rwee were ewre rewe erwe erew reew eerw eerw reew erew
Note: these 'words' (valid or invalid) are all the permutations of the word were. These words are obtained by scrambling the letters in were.
Definitions and meaning of were
were
Etymology 1
From Middle Englishwere, weren, from Old Englishwǣre, wǣron, wǣren, from Proto-Germanic*wēzun, *wēzīn, from Proto-Indo-European*h₂wes-. More at was.
Alternative forms
ware(old eye dialect)
weare(obsolete)
Pronunciation
stressed
(UK) enPR: wûr, IPA(key): /wɜː(ɹ)/
(UK, regional) enPR: wâr, IPA(key): /wɛə(ɹ)/
(US) enPR: wûr, IPA(key): /wɝ/
(Ireland, also) enPR: wär, IPA(key): /wɑːɹ/
Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)
Homophone: whirr(in accents with the wine-whine merger)
unstressed
(UK) enPR: wər, IPA(key): /wə(ɹ)/
(US) enPR: wər, IPA(key): /wɚ/
Homophone: we're
Verb
were
second-person singular simple past indicative of be
John, you were the only person to see him.
first/second/third-person plural simple past indicative of be
We were about to leave.
Mary and John, you were right.
They were a fine group.
They were to be the best of friends from that day on.
first/second/third-personsingular/plural simple present/past subjunctive of be
I wish that it were Sunday.
I wish that I were with you.
with “if” omitted, put first in an “if” clause:
Were it simply that she wore a hat, I would not be upset at all. (= If it were simply...)
Were father a king, we would have war. (= If father were a king,...)
(MLE, Northern England)first/third-person singular simple past indicative of be.
Synonyms
(second-person singular past indicative, archaic) wast (used with “thou”)
(second-person singular imperfect subjunctive, archaic) wert (used with “thou”)
See also
Etymology 2
From Middle Englishwere, wer, see wer.
Noun
were (pluralweres)
Alternative form of wer(“man; wergeld”)
1799-1805, Sharon Turner, History of the Anglo-Saxons
Every man was valued at a certain sum, which was called his were.
Etymology 3
Back-formation from werewolf and other terms in were-, from the same source as English wer, were(“man”) (above).
Noun
were (pluralweres)
(fandom slang)The collective name for any kind of person that changes into another form under certain conditions, including the werewolf.
Anagrams
Ewer, ewer, ewre, rewe, weer
Dutch
Pronunciation
Rhymes: -eːrə
Verb
were
(dated or formal) singular present subjunctive of weren
Anagrams
weer
Fijian
Noun
were
garden
Verb
were (wereca)
to garden, to weed (wereca specifically)
Irarutu
Etymology
From Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian*waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian*wahiʀ.
Noun
were
water (clear liquid H₂O)
Further reading
Cornelis L. Voorhoeve, Languages of Irian Jaya Checklist (1975, Canberra: Pacific Linguistics)
Maku'a
Noun
were
water
References
Aone van Engelenhoven, The position of Makuva among the Austronesian languages of Southwest Maluku and East Timor, in Austronesian historical linguistics and culture history: a festschrift, Pacific linguistics 601 (2009)
Middle English
Etymology 1
From Old Englishwǣre (second-person singular indicative and subjunctive past of wesan).
Alternative forms
weer, weere, wer, wære, ware
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /ˈwɛːr(ə)/, /ˈwɛr(ə)/
Verb
were
inflection of been:
second-person singular indicative past
singular subjunctive past
Descendants
English: were(dialectal war, ware)
Scots: war, waar, ware, waur, wur, wir
Yola: war, ware
Etymology 2
From weren.
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /ˈwɛːr(ə)/
Noun
were (uncountable)
wearing
Descendants
English: wear
Yola: were, wer
References
“wēre, n.(4).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
Etymology 3
From a conflation of Old Englishwǣron and Old Englishwǣren.
Verb
were
Alternative form of weren
Etymology 4
From Old Englishwerre, wyrre.
Noun
were
Alternative form of werre
Mwani
Noun
wereclass 5 (pluralmawere)
breast
Northern Kurdish
Verb
were
second-person singular imperative of hatin
Onin
Etymology
From Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian*waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian*wahiʀ.
Noun
were
water (clear liquid H₂O)
Tocharian B
Etymology
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Noun
were?
smell, scent, odor
Toro
Noun
were
day
References
Roger Blench, The Toro language of Central Nigeria and its affinities (2012)
Uruangnirin
Etymology
From Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian*waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian*wahiʀ.
Noun
were
water (clear liquid H₂O)
Yola
Alternative forms
wer
Etymology
From Middle Englishwere.
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /wiː/
Homophones: wyer, waare
Noun
were
wearing
Related terms
waare(“to wear”)
References
Jacob Poole (d. 1827) (before 1828) William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, published 1867, page 77