whether

- definition

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.

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.

conjunction British English pronunciation: whether

/ˈweðə(r)/

Other entries for this word

1
used when someone does not know which of two possibilities is true
They asked us whether we were married.
There is some doubt as to whether the illness is infectious.
whether...or:
She doesn't even know whether her daughter is dead or alive.
whether or not:
I still don't know whether or not he's planning to come.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of whether
2
used when someone can choose between two possibilities
Employees are deciding whether to accept the offer.
whether or not:
There was a debate over whether or not to send troops.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of whether
3
used for saying that it does not matter which of two possibilities is true, because the situation will be the same
The journey, whether by road or rail, takes under four hours.
whether...or not:
Whether you like it or not, you'll have to change your lifestyle.
whether...or (whether):
Whether we win or whether we lose, we shall respect the democratic process.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of whether

Usage note: whether

Both whether and if can be used to introduce indirect questions of the type that expect a 'yes/no' answer: She asked if/whether I liked jazz.

Use whether, but not if, before an infinitive: She can't decide whether to marry him.

Use whether, but not if, after a preposition: There are doubts about whether the system is safe.

Use whether, but not if, immediately before 'or not': The question is whether or not the government has the right to interfere.

Whether is generally preferred when 'or' appears later in the sentence, but you can also use if: It is not clear whether/if the information was stolen or deliberately leaked to the press.

Get It Right!: whether

Get it right: whether

Notice the spelling of the conjunction whether, and don't confuse it with the noun weather, which sounds exactly the same.

✗ It does not matter wheather one is an optimist or a pessimist.

✓ It does not matter whether one is an optimist or a pessimist.

✗ The question is wether there is still a place for imagination in the world.

✓ The question is whether there is still a place for imagination in the world.

✗ … the issue of weather criminals need retribution or rehabilitation.

✓ … the issue of whether criminals need retribution or rehabilitation.

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

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to American English.

View the pronunciation for whether.

hypnobirthing

the process of giving birth to a baby using hypnosis techniques …

BuzzWord Article

More BuzzWords

BuzzWord archive

Word of the Day

flat racing

horse racing on flat ground with no fences or jumping

Open Dictionary

chapul

to fight for one's rights

add a word

More submissions

view entries

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