Believe vs. believe in

To “believe” is accept something as true or hold as an opinion.
To “believe in” is to have faith or trust in someone or something.

Example sentences

Believe

I believe the universe is expanding as we speak.

Millions of people on Earth believe there exists a higher power.

She couldn’t believe her eyes when she saw the magic trick.

The CEO believes we could overcome the recession.

He believes empathy is learned during childhood.

I believed what she said even though no one else did.

Believe in

I believe in John because he’s always pulled through.

Did you believe in Santa when you were younger?

You should believe in yourself; you’ll do well.

My mother believed in the importance of education so she enrolled us in the best private school in the city.

Our manager believes in our product and thinks it will revolutionize the market.

I believe in the school system and that teachers are looking out for us.

Although both “believe” and “believe in” can be used to mean “accept as true,” “believe in” is more associated with having faith or trust in someone or something. For example, “I believe in ghosts.” means the subject of the sentence accepts the existence of ghosts as true. However, more often than not, “believe in” will be used to mean feeling sure someone or something is capable or a certain way.

Practice questions

My professor believes/believes in humans will find a way to live forever.
Believe/Believe in Winona; she’ll get the job done.
That man over there believes/believes in the Earth is flat.
The volunteers believe/believe in the organization and its mission.
The employees had a hard time believing/believing in their boss because he was obviously incompetent.
My grandfather believes/believes in aliens will invade Earth one day.
Do you believe/believe in everything he told you?
I believe/believe in my students and that they will all pass the test with flying colors.
How can she believe/believe in the justice system when her brother was unjustly sent to prison?
He couldn’t believe/believe in it when he found out he had won the lottery.