Phrase guide

believe it or not

adv · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

adv

Meaning 1

This may be surprising, but it's true.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic

Examples

  • We're, believe it or not, in love with each other.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

30 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: صدق أو لا تصدق — This may be surprising, but it's true
  • Cebuano: motuo ka o dili — This may be surprising, but it's true
  • Chinese Mandarin: 信不信由你 — This may be surprising, but it's true
  • Esperanto: kredu-ne-kredu — This may be surprising, but it's true
  • Finnish: usko tai älä — This may be surprising, but it's true
  • Finnish: uskokaa tai älkää — This may be surprising, but it's true
  • French: croyez-le ou non — This may be surprising, but it's true
  • German: sage und schreibe — This may be surprising, but it's true
  • Hungarian: ha hiszed, ha nem — This may be surprising, but it's true
  • Hungarian: hiszed vagy sem — This may be surprising, but it's true
  • Hungarian: akár hiszed, akár nem — This may be surprising, but it's true
  • Indonesian: percaya atau tidak — This may be surprising, but it's true
  • Irish: creid é nó ná creid — This may be surprising, but it's true
  • Japanese: 信じようも信じまいと (shinjiyō mo shinjimai to) — This may be surprising, but it's true
  • Japanese: 信じられないかもしれませんが (shinjirarenai ka mo shiremasen ga) — This may be surprising, but it's true
  • Polish: wierz lub nie — This may be surprising, but it's true
  • Polish: uwierz lub nie — This may be surprising, but it's true
  • Polish: wierzcie lub nie — This may be surprising, but it's true
  • Polish: uwierzcie lub nie — This may be surprising, but it's true
  • Portuguese: acredite ou não — This may be surprising, but it's true
  • Portuguese: acredite se quiser — This may be surprising, but it's true
  • Scottish Gaelic: creid sin no nach creid — This may be surprising, but it's true
  • Scottish Gaelic: creidibh sin no nach creid — This may be surprising, but it's true
  • Spanish: lo creas o no — This may be surprising, but it's true
  • Spanish: aunque usted no lo crea — This may be surprising, but it's true
  • Swedish: tro det eller ej — This may be surprising, but it's true
  • Tagalog: sa maniwala ka o sa hindi — This may be surprising, but it's true
  • Tagalog: maniwala ka man o hindi — This may be surprising, but it's true
  • Telugu: నమ్ము నమ్మక పో (nammu nammaka pō) — This may be surprising, but it's true
  • Turkish: ister inan, ister inanma — This may be surprising, but it's true