Advertisement
Advertisement
what
[hwuht, hwot, wuht, wot, hwuht, wuht]
pronoun
(used interrogatively as a request for specific information).
is the matter?
(used interrogatively to inquire about the character, occupation, etc., of a person).
does he do?
(used interrogatively to inquire as to the origin, identity, etc., of something).
are those birds?
(used interrogatively to inquire as to the worth, usefulness, force, or importance of something).
is wealth without friends?
(used interrogatively to request a repetition of words or information not fully understood, usually used in elliptical constructions).
You need what?
(used interrogatively to inquire the reason or purpose of something, usually used in elliptical constructions).
of it?
how much?.
does it cost?
(used relatively to indicate that which).
I will send what was promised.
whatever; anything that.
Say what you please.
Come what may.
the kind of thing or person that.
He said what everyone expected he would. They are just what I was expecting.
as much as; as many as.
We should each give what we can.
the thing or fact that (used in parenthetic clauses).
He went to the meeting and, what was worse, insisted on speaking.
(used to indicate more to follow, additional possibilities, alternatives, etc.).
You know what? Shall we go or what?
(used as an intensifier in exclamatory phrases, often followed by an indefinite article).
luck! an idea!
British.don't you agree?.
An unusual chap, what?
Nonstandard.that; which; who.
She's the one what told me.
noun
the true nature or identity of something, or the sum of its characteristics.
a lecture on the whats and hows of crop rotation.
adjective
(used interrogatively before nouns).
news? clothes shall I pack?
Take what supplies you need.
adverb
to what extent or degree? how much?.
does it matter?
(used to introduce a prepositional phrase beginning withwith ).
with storms and all, their return was delayed.
Obsolete.for what reason or purpose? why?
interjection
(used in exclamatory expressions, often followed by a question).
, no salt?
conjunction
Older Use.as much as; as far as.
He helps me what he can.
what
/ wət, wɒt /
determiner
used with a noun in requesting further information about the identity or categorization of something
what job does he do?
( as pronoun )
what is her address?
( used in indirect questions )
does he know what man did this?
tell me what he said
the (person, thing, persons, or things) that
we photographed what animals we could see
( as pronoun )
bring me what you've written
come what may
(intensifier; used in exclamations)
what a good book!
adverb
in what respect? to what degree?
what do you care?
pronoun
not_standardwhich, who, or that, when used as relative pronouns
this is the man what I saw in the park yesterday
what do you think, know, feel, etc, concerning?
for what purpose? why?
informala punishment or reprimand (esp in the phrase give ( a person ) what for )
someone, something, or somewhere unknown or unspecified
cars, motorcycles, or what have you
what would happen if?
what difference would it make if?
what does it matter?
informalthe true or real state of affairs
interjection
informaldon't you think? don't you agree?
splendid party, what?
Usage
Word History and Origins
Origin of what1
Word History and Origins
Origin of what1
Idioms and Phrases
Say what? (used especially among teenagers) 's that you say? Would you repeat that?
So what? (an expression of disinterest, disinclination, or contempt.)
what if, what would be the outcome if; suppose that.
if everyone who was invited comes?
what it takes, something that enables one to achieve success or attain a desired end, as good looks, ability, or money.
There's a young woman who has what it takes to get along in the world.
what's what, the true situation; all the facts.
It's high time you told him what's what.
but what, but that; but who; who or that … not.
Who knows but what the sun may still shine.
what for,
why.
are you doing that for?
You want that package now? for?
Older Use: Informal. a punishment or scolding.
If he stays out late again, his parents are going to give him what for!
what have you, other things of the same kind; so forth.
money, jewels, stocks, and what have you.
Example Sentences
“I think what they’ve opened up with the whole conceit behind it is super important,” Giddens says.
She also judged a biscuit competition and participated in contra dances, which is what got her into this music in the first place.
The star-studded Bowl show is “not what I usually do,” says Giddens.
Last summer, Giddens was making her new album of traditional banjo and fiddle tunes with Justin Robinson, “ Did the Blackbird Say to the Crow,” and they were recording a few songs at Mill Prong House in Red Springs, N.C.
She and Robinson learned their tunes and their art directly from Thompson, who died in 2012; they were playing his music together in Ojai recently “when it just hit me how important it was what we were doing,” she says, “like how complete the sound was together. I said: ‘If one of us gets hit by a bus, this tradition is dead.’
Advertisement
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Browse
