View synonyms for

when

[hwen, wen, hwuhn, wuhn]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

adverb

at what time or period? how long ago? how soon?.
When are they to arrive?
When did the Roman Empire exist?
under what circumstances? upon what occasion?.
When is a letter of condolence in order?
When did you ever see such a crowd?

conjunction

at what time.
to know when to be silent.
at the time or in the event that.
when we were young;
when the noise stops.
at any time; whenever.
He is impatient when he is kept waiting.
upon or after which; and then.
We had just fallen asleep when the bell rang.
while on the contrary; considering that; whereas.
Why are you here when you should be in school?

pronoun

what time.
Till when is the store open?
which time.
They left on Monday, since when we have heard nothing.

noun

the time of anything.
the when and the where of an act.

when

/ ��ɛ�� /

adverb

1. at what time? over what period?
  when is he due?
2. ( used in indirect questions )
  ask him when he's due
to state when an action is to be stopped or begun, as when someone is pouring a drink
(subordinating) at a time at which; at the time at which; just as; after
I found it easily when I started to look seriously
although
he drives when he might walk
considering the fact that
how did you pass the exam when you'd not worked for it?
at which (time); over which (period)
an age when men were men

noun

(usually plural) a question as to the time of some occurrence

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Usage

When should not be used loosely as a substitute for in which after a noun which does not refer to a period of time: paralysis is a condition in which (not when ) parts of the body cannot be moved

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Word History and Origins

Origin of when¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English when(ne), Old English hwenne; cognate with German wann “w��,” wenn “if, when” (compare Gothic hwan “when, how”); akin to who, what

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Word History and Origins

Origin of when¹

Old English hwanne, hwænne; related to Old High German hwanne, hwenne, Latin cum

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Idioms and Phrases

In addition to the idioms beginning with when, also see cross a bridge when one comes to it; push comes to shove, when.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Short of amending the document, or tearing it up altogether, they recognized it was pointless to pretend that federalism didn't exist or to only recognize the idea when it was politically useful.

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The ruling proved that the idea of states' rights still exists among conservatives, at lease when it is useful to their cause.

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The ruling proved that the idea of states' rights still exists among conservatives, at least when it is useful to their cause.

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And we can probably expect more violence, including the kind we saw this weekend in Minneapolis, when a far right extremist assassinated a Democratic politician and her husband, and wounded two others.

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Senior figures in Whitehall are concerned negotiations are reaching a crunch point this week, when an order for fresh raw materials needs to be placed in order to keep the blast furnaces going.

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whelping ice when all's said and done

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