Looking for the meaning of the word WHY in English for both noun and verb forms from the Oxford Dictionary? Below, you can explore all possible meanings and definitions of WHY with sentence examples. You can also use the “AUDIO PRONUNCIATION” track to check the correct pronunciation in British English.
Word: Why
Speech Type: Adverb
Etymology:
Old English hwī, hwȳ ‘by what cause’, instrumental case of hwæt ‘what’, of Germanic origin
Audio Pronunciation:
Phonetic Spelling:
wʌɪ
Dialects: British English
Definition:
for what reason or purpose
Short Definition:for what reason or purpose
Examples:- why did he do it?
Word: Why
Speech Type: Interjection
Audio Pronunciation:
Phonetic Spelling:
wʌɪ
Dialects: British English
Definition:
expressing surprise or indignation
Short Definition:expressing surprise or indignation
Examples:- why, that's absurd!
Definition:
used to add emphasis to a response
Short Definition:used to add emphasis to response
Examples:- ‘You think so?’ ‘Why, yes.’
Word: Why
Speech Type: Noun
Audio Pronunciation:
Phonetic Spelling:
wʌɪ
Dialects: British English
Definition:
a reason or explanation
Short Definition:reason or explanation
Examples:- the whys and wherefores of these procedures need to be explained to students
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