Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adverb Probably; perhaps.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Perhaps; probably.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adverb Obs. or Archaic It is likely or probably; perhaps.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb transitive To make like; simulate.
  • verb transitive To be like; resemble.
  • verb impersonal To be pleasing to; please.
  • verb transitive To like; be pleased with.
  • noun An object of affection or liking.
  • adverb archaic or dialectal, Northern England Likely, probably, perhaps.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adverb with considerable certainty; without much doubt

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Probably be- (from by) + like, what is likely.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From be- +‎ like.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English beliken ("to simulate, feign"), equivalent to be- +‎ like.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From be- +‎ like.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word belike.

Examples

  • It teacheth the tongue ill speaking, and my word belike was such.

    The Story of Sigurd the Volsung William Morris 1865

  • It teacheth the tongue ill speaking, and my word belike was such.

    The Story of Sigurd the Volsung and the Fall of the Niblungs William Morris 1865

  • (calling belike upon the Lord,) and so the Prince immediately commanded to take away the tun and quench the fire.

    Henry of Monmouth, Volume 2 Memoirs of Henry the Fifth James Endell Tyler 1820

  • There arose in that narrow, iron-sided gorge a havoc such as belike surpassed that of the original breaking through of the waters.

    The Sagebrusher A Story of the West Emerson Hough 1890

  • He'll break your travelin 'light, him a carryin' the outfit and a big buck deer belike.

    Chapter II 2010

  • An 'have ye niver drifted along, the water clear as glass, whin suddin, belike a cloud over the sun, the mushy-ice comes bubblin' up an 'up till from bank to bank an' bind to bind it's drapin 'the river like a first snowfall?'

    The Men of Forty Mile 2010

  • An 'have ye niver drifted along, the water clear as glass, whin suddin, belike a cloud over the sun, the mushy-ice comes bubblin' up an 'up till from bank to bank an' bind to bind it's drapin 'the river like a first snowfall?'

    The Men of Forty-Mile 2010

  • But it was the face, cast belike in copper bronze, which caught and held Mrs. Sayther's fleeting glance.

    THE GREAT INTERROGATION 2010

  • To himself he added, "An 'belike, if Satan takes his eye off his own, I'll put it to that young cub iv his."

    CHAPTER 16 2010

  • If thou goest to him, and say Ilderim sent thee, will he not be glad of such a fine sturdy trooper - ye may touch the hilt, and eat the salt, and belike he'll forget the assami* (* In this sense, a deposit paid by a recruit on enlistment.) for my sake.

    Fiancée 2010

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.