what
53 ENTRIES FOUND:
- what (pronoun)
- what (adjective)
- what (adverb)
- what–if (noun)
- what's–her–name (noun)
- what's–his–name (noun)
- what all (pronoun)
- what for (noun)
- you–know–what (noun)
- about (preposition)
- best (noun)
- care (verb)
- cat (noun)
- come (verb)
- difference (noun)
- doctor (noun)
- drag (verb)
- else (adjective)
- gander (noun)
- get (verb)
- give (verb)
- good (adjective)
- goose (noun)
- have (verb)
- hear (verb)
- hell (noun)
- hit (verb)
- if (conjunction)
- know (verb)
- look (verb)
- made (adjective)
- manner (noun)
- mean (verb)
- more (adverb)
- new (adjective)
- odds (noun)
- order (verb)
- pleasure (noun)
- poison (noun)
- reap (verb)
- sauce (noun)
- say (verb)
- see (verb)
- should (verb)
- sow (verb)
- talk (verb)
- tell (verb)
- thing (noun)
- tick (verb)
- wait (verb)
- wish (verb)
- with (preposition)
- worth (preposition)
Britannica Dictionary definition of WHAT
1
a
— used to ask for information about someone or something
-
What is your name?
-
What are those things on the table?
-
What's your family like?
-
What happened?
-
What [=how much] does it cost?
-
“What did she say?” “She said yes.”
-
What do you think of my idea?
-
What do you want to do tonight?
-
“Dad!” “What (do you want)?” “You have a phone call.”
-
What (on earth) are you doing?!
-
I finished dusting. Now what (should I do)?
-
What (should I do) next?
-
What else did he say?
-
You have money, fame, and a beautiful family. What more could you want?
b
— used to describe a question
-
Please ask them what they want for dinner.
-
They asked her what she knew about him.
-
I wonder what his motives were.
2
a
— used to ask someone to say something again because you have not clearly heard or understood it
— often used to show surprise about the thing that someone has just said
-
What did you say? = (informal) What?
-
“And then I said that he could go to hell.” “You said what?!”
-
She did what?!
-
What? I don't believe it. You must be joking!
b
informal
— used to express surprise, excitement, etc.
-
What, no breakfast?
-
“Have you heard? They won!” “What!? That's great!”
3
informal
— used to ask what someone's last name is
-
“Her name's Kathy.” “Kathy what?”
4
a
:
that which
:
the one or ones that
-
He has no income but what he gets from his writing. [=he has no income except for the income he gets from his writing]
-
“Do you have any other sizes?” “No, only what you see here.”
b
:
the kind that
:
the same as
-
The speech was very much what everyone expected.
-
My memory isn't what it used to be. [=it is not as good as it used to be]
c
:
something that
-
The dog is chewing on what appears to be a sock.
-
It was the beginning of what turned out to be a long and successful career.
d
:
the thing or things that
— often followed by to + verb
-
What you need is a vacation. [=you need a vacation]
-
What made me angry was how he treated you. [=it was the way he treated you that made me angry]
-
What matters most is your safety. = Your safety is what matters most.
-
Romance novels are what she enjoys reading.
-
Do what you're told.
-
Tell me what you're looking for.
-
She is looking for something but I don't know what.
-
He knows what he should do.
-
Stop telling me what to do.
-
I don't know what to think/say/believe.
-
She has (got) what it takes [=she has the skills and personality] to do the job.
-
I'll do what it takes to win.
-
You'll never guess what happened to me today. [=you'll be surprised by what happened to me today]
◊ Guess what is often used to tell someone that you have surprising news.
-
Guess what happened to me today!
-
“Guess what!” “What?” “I bought a new car.”
e
:
anything or everything that
:
whatever
-
Say what you will, my opinion won't change. [=nothing you can say will change my opinion]
-
Take what you need. [=take anything that you need]
5
informal
— used to direct attention to something that you are about to say
-
I'll tell you what I'm going to do: I'm going to let you have it for 30 percent off.
-
I'll tell you what. If he thinks I'm cleaning up this mess, he's wrong.
-
Tell you what—let's eat out tonight.
-
“It's not worth the money.” “You know what—you're right.”
or what
informal
1
— used to ask about what is happening, being done, etc.
-
Is it snowing, raining, or what?
-
So are you ready to leave or what?
2
— used to ask if someone agrees with you
-
Is this exciting or what? [=isn't this exciting?; don't you agree that this is exciting?]
say what
what about
1
a
:
does that include (someone)
:
how about (someone)
-
“We're all going to the beach.” “What about Kenny?”
b
:
how does that affect (someone or something)
:
what should be done about (someone or something)
-
“I need to leave—something has come up.” “What about the meeting?” “We can reschedule it.”
-
“You can throw this one away.” “What about the others?” “Those I want to keep.”
-
(And/But) What about the people who can't afford health insurance?
2
— used to make a suggestion about what could be done
-
What about [=how about] coming with us?
-
What about driving to the coast for the weekend?
-
We'll need to talk about this again. What about (meeting) next week?
-
What about another game? [=would you like to play another game?]
3
— used to ask someone to tell you something in response to the thing that you have just said
-
I like skiing and hiking. What about you? [=what sports do you like?]
-
Everyone else is coming. What about you? [=are you coming, too?]
what…for
:
for what purpose or reason
—
see also what for
-
What did you do that for? [=why did you do that?]
-
What is this switch for? [=what does this switch do?]
-
“The principal wants to see you.” “What for?” [=why?]
what have you
informal
:
any of the other things that might also be mentioned
-
You can use the container to hold paper clips, pins, and/or what have you.
what if
1
:
what would happen if
-
What if they find out?
-
What if it rains?
2
:
what does it matter if
— used to say that something is not important
—
see also so what at 3what
-
“He's nice enough, I suppose. But he's poor.” “What if he is poor? I love him!”
-
“They might find out.” “So what if they do? I don't care.”
what of
1
formal
:
how does that affect (someone or something)
:
what should be done about (someone or something)
-
What of [=what about] those who cannot afford health insurance?
2
:
why does (something) matter
-
“Did you approve this request?” “Yes. What of it?” [=so what?]
what's it to you?
informal
:
why do you want to know
— used to respond in a somewhat angry or annoyed way to a question that you do not want to answer
-
“How much do they pay you?” “Why? What's it to you?”
what's more
:
in addition
:
furthermore
-
Her boyfriend is intelligent and handsome; what's more, he respects her.
what's up?
US, informal
— used as a friendly greeting
-
“Hi, Jim. What's up?” “Not much.”
what's what
informal
:
the true state of things
:
the things that need to be known or understood in order to make good judgments, decisions, etc.
-
She knows what's what when it comes to fashion. [=she knows a lot about fashion]
-
We need to find out what's what.
what's with
informal or what's up with
1
:
what is the reason for (something)
-
(So) what's with the hat? [=why are you wearing that hat?]
-
He told me to go away. What's up with that? [=why did he do that?]
2
:
what is wrong with (someone or something)
-
What's with him?
-
What's up with you? You look upset.
-
I can't figure out what's up with this computer.
2
what
/ˈwɑːt/
/ˈwʌt/
adjective
2
what
/ˈwɑːt/
/ˈwʌt/
adjective
Britannica Dictionary definition of WHAT
always used before a noun
1
— used to ask someone to indicate the identity or nature of someone or something
-
What fool told you that?
-
What book did you read?
-
What news have you heard from him?
-
In what way are these two stories the same?
-
We won the war, but at what price? [=did we lose or give up too much in order to win the war?]
2
— used to say that someone or something is remarkable for having good or bad qualities
-
What a good idea!
-
What mountains!
-
Remember what fun we had?
-
What a horrible movie!
-
What a beautiful child.
3
— used to refer to an amount that someone has, uses, etc.
-
She gave what money she had [=she gave all the money she had] to the homeless man.
-
Give what excuses you will—it makes no difference. [=no excuses that you may give will make any difference]
-
He soon gambled away what (little) money he had left.
-
We spent what (little) time remained chatting.
3
what
/ˈwɑːt/
/ˈwʌt/
adverb
3
what
/ˈwɑːt/
/ˈwʌt/
adverb
Britannica Dictionary definition of WHAT
:
in what way
-
What [=how] does it matter?
-
What does she care? [=why is it important to her?]
so what
informal
— used to say that something said or done is not important
-
She has a glass of wine now and then—so what?
what with
— used to introduce the part of a sentence that indicates the cause of something
-
What with the freezing temperatures, they nearly died.
-
What with school and sports, she's always busy.
-
Things have been difficult for him lately, what with his wife's illness and all.
