Did you know?

Click any word in a definition or example to find the entry for that word

whoever

 - definition
Close

What are red words?

90% of the time, speakers of English use just 7,500 words in speech and writing. These words appear in red, and are graded with stars. One-star words are frequent, two-star words are more frequent, and three-star words are the most frequent.

Close

Thesaurus

The thesaurus of synonyms and related words is fully integrated into the dictionary entries. Click on the T button in an entry to review the synonyms and related words for that meaning.

more
pronoun American English pronunciation: whoever /huˈevər/
Whoever can be used in the following ways:
as a relative pronoun (starting a relative clause that is the subject, object, or complement of another clause): You can invite whoever you want. ♦ Whoever comes will be welcome.
as a question pronoun: Whoever can it be?
as a conjunction (connecting two clauses): Whoever wins the election, it won’t make any difference to me.
 
  1. 1
    someone or anyone who does a particular thing or is in a particular situation

    Whoever gets the job will be responsible for the annual budget of the department.

    A free gift will be given to whoever completes the questionnaire.

    Whoever had killed Magnus had probably killed Dempster as well.

    You may choose whoever you would like to represent you.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  whoeverThesaurus entry for this meaning of whoever
  2. 2
    used for saying that it does not matter who is involved in something because the result or the situation will be the same

    Whoever you ask, the answer is always the same.

    Whoever’s fault the accident might have been, it certainly wasn’t mine.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  whoeverThesaurus entry for this meaning of whoever
  3. 3
    spoken used for emphasizing “who” in a question to show that you are surprised or shocked, or that you think something is unlikely

    Such a wonderful person! Whoever would want to kill her?

    Whoever heard of a politician admitting he was wrong?

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  whoeverThesaurus entry for this meaning of whoever

phrases

This is the American English definition of whoever. View British English definition of whoever.

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to British English.

 

vocal fry

a speech habit in which a speaker lowers their voice at the end of a sentence

BuzzWord Article

Word of the Day Word of the Day

zeugma

the use of a word twice in the same sentence but with different meanings. The sentence ‘She...

Open Dictionary

conflict mineral

a mineral which is mined in a place where there is armed conflict, and sold to help pay for weapons

add a word

Blog

A must for anyone with an interest in the changing face of language. The Macmillan Dictionary blog explores English as it is spoken around the world today.

global English and language change from our blog