why
//ˈwaɪ̯//
informalForms
- Plural
- whys
- present (v1)
- why
- past (v2)
- whyed
- past participle (v3)
- whyed
- present participle
- whying
- 3rd person singular
- whys
Definitions
1.For what cause, reason, or purpose.
- Why not tell him how you feel?
- Why him? Why not someone taller?
- Tell me why the moon changes phase.
2.For which cause, reason, or purpose.
- That's the reason why I did that.
3.The cause, reason, or purpose for which.
- Why most of us volunteer is that we need some fresh air.
- That is why the sky is blue.
1.Reason.
- I don't want to know the whys or the wherefores of your decision.
- A good article will cover the who, the what, the when, the where, the why and the how.
2.Alternative form of wye; the name of the Latin script letter Y/y.
- I hear you. But hear me out, all right? Because I mean what I’m about to say. Eff-you-see-kay-why-oh-you. Fuck you.
- Miss said, “Love your outfit, bee-tee-double-u.” It took me a second to realize she meant “btw.” “Is it vintage?” / I looked down at my school uniform. Fudgsicles. “Tee-why,” said Jahna, for “ty.” “And why-ee-ess yes!”
1.To ask (someone) the question "why?".
- Why indeed? But once you start whying, there's no end to it.
Frequency
Overall
Very common· #117
By learning goal
- Everyday conversation
- Very common
- General reading & writing
- Very common
- Academic
- Rare
- Literature
- Uncommon
Etymology
From Middle English why, from Old English hwȳ (“why”), from Proto-Germanic *hwī (“by what, how”), from Proto-Indo-European *kʷey, instrumental case of *kʷís (“who”), *kʷid (“what”).