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what - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'what' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . What [ interrog. adv.]
- Why? For what purpose? On what account?
2 . What [ n.]
- Something; thing; stuff.
3 . What [ pron., a., & adv.]
- As an interrogative pronoun, used in asking questions regarding either persons or things; as, what is this? what did you say? what poem is this? what child is lost?
- As an exclamatory word: -- (a) Used absolutely or independently; -- often with a question following.
- Used adjectively, meaning how remarkable, or how great; as, what folly! what eloquence! what courage!
- Sometimes prefixed to adjectives in an adverbial sense, as nearly equivalent to how; as, what happy boys!
- As a relative pronoun
- Used substantively with the antecedent suppressed, equivalent to that which, or those [persons] who, or those [things] which; -- called a compound relative.
- Used adjectively, equivalent to the . . . which; the sort or kind of . . . which; rarely, the . . . on, or at, which.
- Used adverbially in a sense corresponding to the adjectival use; as, he picked what good fruit he saw.
- Whatever; whatsoever; what thing soever; -- used indefinitely.
- Used adverbially, in part; partly; somewhat; -- with a following preposition, especially, with, and commonly with repetition.

Nearby Words:

whaap whack whacked whacker whacking whahoo whala whale whaleboat whalebone

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