Meanings
adverbmaybe (not comparable)
alternative dialectal mebbe · alternative obsolete may-be
- not comparablePerhaps that is true (expressing no commitment to a decision or a neutral viewpoint to a statement).
Okay. See you later, maybe. — Maybe I’ll see you later.
2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)
adjectivemaybe (comparative more maybe, superlative most maybe)
comparative more maybe · superlative most maybe · alternative dialectal mebbe · alternative obsolete may-be
nounmaybe (plural maybes)
plural maybes · alternative dialectal mebbe · alternative obsolete may-be
- informalSomething that is possibly true.
- informalAn answer that shows neither agreement nor disagreement.
The results of the poll were inconclusive. We got two yeses, three nos, and four maybes.
- informalA future event that may or may not happen.
About your raise: it's a big maybe.
Synonyms & antonyms
adverbPerhaps, possibly.
Similar
More synonyms by meaning
adverbby chance
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Englishit may be
- Englishmaybe
From an ellipsis of Middle English it may be, equivalent to may + be. Compare mayhap.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans dalk, miskien
- dalkindicating a lack of certainty
- miskienindicating a lack of certainty
Ancient Greek ἴσως
- ἴσως (ísōs)indicating a lack of certainty
Arabic رُبَّمَا, مِن اَلْمُمْكِن
- رُبَّمَا (rubbamā)indicating a lack of certainty
- مِن اَلْمُمْكِن (min al-mumkin)indicating a lack of certainty
- لَعَلَّ (laʕalla)indicating a lack of certainty
- رُبَّمَا (rubbamā)as a pro-sentence
- مِن اَلْمُمْكِن (min al-mumkin)as a pro-sentence
Basque naski
- naskiindicating a lack of certainty
Bulgarian мо́же би
- мо́же би (móže bi)indicating a lack of certainty
Catalan potser
- potserindicating a lack of certainty
Chinese Cantonese 或者, 有可能
- 或者 (waak⁶ ze²)indicating a lack of certainty
- 有可能 (jau⁵ ho² nang⁴)indicating a lack of certainty
Chinese Mandarin 也許 /也许, 或許 /或许
- 也許 /也许 (yěxǔ)indicating a lack of certainty
- 或許 /或许 (huòxǔ)indicating a lack of certainty
- 或是 (huòshì)indicating a lack of certainty
- 可能 (kěnéng)indicating a lack of certainty
- 也許 /也许 (yěxǔ)as a pro-sentence
- 或許 /或许 (huòxǔ)as a pro-sentence
- 或是 (huòshì)as a pro-sentence
- 可能 (kěnéng)as a pro-sentence
Czech asi, možná
- asiindicating a lack of certainty
- možnáindicating a lack of certainty
- možnáas a pro-sentence
Danish måske, måske
- måskeindicating a lack of certainty
- måskeas a pro-sentence
Dutch misschien, wellicht
- misschienindicating a lack of certainty
- wellichtindicating a lack of certainty
- mogelijkindicating a lack of certainty
- mogelijkerwijsindicating a lack of certainty
- misschienas a pro-sentence
- het zou kunnenas a pro-sentence
- mogelijkas a pro-sentence
Esperanto eble
- ebleindicating a lack of certainty
Estonian võib-olla, võibolla
- võib-ollaindicating a lack of certainty
- võibollaindicating a lack of certainty
- ehkindicating a lack of certainty
- järskuindicating a lack of certainty
- vahestindicating a lack of certainty
- äkkiindicating a lack of certainty
Finnish ehkä, jospa
- ehkäindicating a lack of certainty
- jospaindicating a lack of certainty
- voi ollaas a pro-sentence
French peut-être, peut-être que
- peut-êtreindicating a lack of certainty
- peut-être queindicating a lack of certainty
- il se peut queindicating a lack of certainty
- peut-êtreas a pro-sentence
- c'est possibleas a pro-sentence
German vielleicht, möglicherweise
- vielleichtindicating a lack of certainty
- möglicherweiseindicating a lack of certainty
- womöglichindicating a lack of certainty
- vielleichtas a pro-sentence
- kann seinas a pro-sentence
- gut möglichas a pro-sentence
Greek ίσως
- ίσως (ísos)indicating a lack of certainty
Hawaiian paha
- pahaindicating a lack of certainty
Hebrew אוּלַי, יִתָּכֵן
- אוּלַי (ulái)indicating a lack of certainty
- יִתָּכֵן (yitakhén)indicating a lack of certainty
- אוּלַי (ulái)as a pro-sentence
Hindi शायद, कदाचित्
- शायद (śāyad)indicating a lack of certainty
- कदाचित् (kadācit)indicating a lack of certainty
- कदाचित (kadācit)indicating a lack of certainty
- कदाचित (kadācit)as a pro-sentence
Hungarian talán
- talánindicating a lack of certainty
Icelandic kannski, kannske
- kannskiindicating a lack of certainty
- kannskeindicating a lack of certainty
- máskeindicating a lack of certainty
- máskiindicating a lack of certainty
- ef til villindicating a lack of certainty
- kannskias a pro-sentence
- kannskeas a pro-sentence
- máskeas a pro-sentence
- máskias a pro-sentence
- ef til villas a pro-sentence
Indonesian barangkali
- barangkaliindicating a lack of certainty
Irish is dócha, b'fhéidir
- is dóchaindicating a lack of certainty
- b'fhéidirindicating a lack of certainty
- b'fhéidiras a pro-sentence
Italian forse, magari
- forseindicating a lack of certainty
- magariindicating a lack of certainty
- chissàindicating a lack of certainty
- forseas a pro-sentence
- può essereas a pro-sentence
Japanese 多分, 若しや
- 多分 (tabun)indicating a lack of certainty
- 若しや (moshiya)indicating a lack of certainty
- …かもしれない (...kamo shirenai)indicating a lack of certainty
- …でしょう (deshō)indicating a lack of certainty
- 多分 (tabun)as a pro-sentence
Korean 아마, 아마도
- 아마 (ama)indicating a lack of certainty
- 아마도 (amado)indicating a lack of certainty
- 어쩌면 (eojjeomyeon)indicating a lack of certainty
Latin fortasse, forsitan
- fortasseindicating a lack of certainty
- forsitanindicating a lack of certainty
- forsindicating a lack of certainty
- forsitindicating a lack of certainty
- forteindicating a lack of certainty
- forsanindicating a lack of certainty
- fortassisindicating a lack of certainty
Latvian varbūt
- varbūtindicating a lack of certainty
Lithuanian gal, galbūt
- galindicating a lack of certainty
- galbūtindicating a lack of certainty
Malay mungkin, barangkali
- mungkinindicating a lack of certainty
- barangkaliindicating a lack of certainty
Māori āwhai, pea
- āwhaiindicating a lack of certainty
- peaindicating a lack of certainty
- āwhaias a pro-sentence
Norwegian Bokmål kanskje, kan hende
- kanskjeindicating a lack of certainty
- kan hendeindicating a lack of certainty
- må hendeindicating a lack of certainty
- kan hendeas a pro-sentence
- kanskje detas a pro-sentence
Persian شاید
- شاید (šâyad)indicating a lack of certainty
Polish może, być może
- możeindicating a lack of certainty
- być możeindicating a lack of certainty
Portuguese talvez, porventura
- talvezindicating a lack of certainty
- porventuraindicating a lack of certainty
- quiçáindicating a lack of certainty
- se calharindicating a lack of certainty
- quem sabeindicating a lack of certainty
- possivelmenteindicating a lack of certainty
- é possívelas a pro-sentence
- pode seras a pro-sentence
- talvezas a pro-sentence
- porventuraas a pro-sentence
- quiçáas a pro-sentence
- se calharas a pro-sentence
Punjabi ਸ਼ਾਇਦ
- ਸ਼ਾਇਦ (śāida)indicating a lack of certainty
Romanian poate, poate
- poateindicating a lack of certainty
- poateas a pro-sentence
Russian мо́жет быть, возмо́жно
- мо́жет быть (móžet bytʹ)indicating a lack of certainty
- возмо́жно (vozmóžno)indicating a lack of certainty
- наве́рное (navérnoje)indicating a lack of certainty
- то́ ли (tó li)indicating a lack of certainty
- мо́жет быть (móžet bytʹ)as a pro-sentence
- возмо́жно (vozmóžno)as a pro-sentence
Scottish Gaelic 's dòcha, 's mathaid
- 's dòchaindicating a lack of certainty
- 's mathaidindicating a lack of certainty
- 's dòchaas a pro-sentence
- 's mathaidas a pro-sentence
Slovak možno, azda
- možnoindicating a lack of certainty
- azdaindicating a lack of certainty
- variindicating a lack of certainty
- možnoas a pro-sentence
Spanish quizá, quizás
- quizáindicating a lack of certainty
- quizásindicating a lack of certainty
- tal vezindicating a lack of certainty
- talvezindicating a lack of certainty
- acasoindicating a lack of certainty
- capaz queindicating a lack of certainty
- de prontoindicating a lack of certainty
- igualindicating a lack of certainty
- de repenteindicating a lack of certainty
- puede queindicating a lack of certainty
- es posibleas a pro-sentence
Swedish kanske, möjligen
- kanskeindicating a lack of certainty
- möjligenindicating a lack of certainty
- måhändaindicating a lack of certainty
- kanhändaindicating a lack of certainty
- kanskeas a pro-sentence
- möjligenas a pro-sentence
Tagalog baka
- bakaindicating a lack of certainty
Thai คงจะ, บางที
- คงจะ (kong-jà)indicating a lack of certainty
- บางที (baang-tii)indicating a lack of certainty
- อาจจะ (àat-jà)indicating a lack of certainty
Turkish olabilir, belki
- olabilirindicating a lack of certainty
- belkiindicating a lack of certainty
Ukrainian ма́буть, мо́же бу́ти
- ма́буть (mábutʹ)indicating a lack of certainty
- мо́же бу́ти (móže búty)indicating a lack of certainty
- можли́во (možlývo)indicating a lack of certainty
- мо́же (móže)indicating a lack of certainty
- пе́вно (pévno)indicating a lack of certainty
Urdu شاید, غالباً
- شاید (śāyad)indicating a lack of certainty
- غالباً (ġāliban)indicating a lack of certainty
Vietnamese có lẽ
- có lẽindicating a lack of certainty
Welsh dichon, efallai
- dichonindicating a lack of certainty
- efallaiindicating a lack of certainty
- ellaindicating a lack of certainty
Yiddish אפֿשר
- אפֿשר (efsher)indicating a lack of certainty
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with maybe
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
maybe. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/maybe
MLA
“maybe.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/maybe. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “maybe,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/maybe.
Source: maybe on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.