what

1. interrogativeWhich, especially which of an open-ended set of possibilities.

   What time is it?

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   What colour are you going to use?

   What kind of car is that?

   Did you buy the groceries? — With what money? We barely have any left.

   Everyone always asks what my advice is, and my advice is don’t overintellectualize your art.

   2022 October 14, Justin Curto, “The 1975’s Matty Healy Prefers Writing Lyrics He’s Afraid Of”, in Vulture, archived from the original on 18 Oct 2022

2. indirectinterrogativeWhich.

   I know what colour I am going to use.

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   I wonder what colour he is going to use.

   That depends on what answer is received.

3. relativeAny ... that; all ... that; whatever.

   What money I earn is soon spent.

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   He seems to have lost what sense he had.

   He crammed what little food was left, into the breast of his grey jacket.

   1860 December – 1861 August, Charles Dickens, chapter III, in Great Expectations […], volume I, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published October 1861, →OCLC, page 40

4. Emphasises that something is noteworthy or remarkable in quality or degree, in either a good or bad way; may be used in combination with certain other determiners, especially 'a', less often 'some'.

   I found out what a liar he is.

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   This shows what beauty there is in nature.

   You know what nonsense she talks.

   1. Used to form exclamations indicating that something is remarkable, in either a good or bad way.

      What nonsense!

      4 more examples

      Wow! What a speech.

      What beautiful children you have.

      With what passion she sings!

      Little Red Riding Hood, traditional folk tale “Oh Granny, what big eyes you have,” said Little Red Riding Hood.

      Synonyms: such

1. interrogativeWhich thing, event, circumstance, etc.: used in asking for the specification of an identity, quantity, quality, etc.

   What is your name?

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   Hammer in that nail —What with? I didn't bring my set of tools.

   My kids set the neighbor's cat on fire. —They did what?

   Ask them what they want.

   What d’you say that made him so angry?

   I’ve broken the exhaust manifold gasket. - You’ve broken the what?

2. fused relativeThat which; those that; the thing(s) that.

   What is amazing is his boundless energy.

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   He knows what he wants and what to do to get it.

   And, what's even worse, I have to work on Sunday too.

   What is astonishing, she doesn't want the job. -What’s even more staggering, neither of her friends does either.

3. fused relativeAnything that; all that; whatever.

   What is mine is yours.

   2 more examples

   I will do what I can to help you.

   What I'll do is, I'll phone you to let you know.

4. dialectalnonstandardrelativeThat; which; who.

   Look! It's that bloke again what was 'ere yesterday!

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   "I'll tell it ye from the beginning," he said. "My time is from ten at night to six in the morning. At eleven there was a fight at the 'White Hart'; but bar that all was quiet enough on the beat. At one o'clock it began to rain, and I met Harry Murcher—him who has the Holland Grove beat—and we stood together at the corner of Henrietta Street a-talkin'. Presently—maybe about two or a little after—I thought I would take a look round and see that all was right down the Brixton Road. It was precious dirty and lonely. Not a soul did I meet all the way down, though a cab or two went past me. I was a strollin' down, thinkin' between ourselves how uncommon handy a four of gin hot would be, when suddenly the glint of a light caught my eye in the window of that same house. Now, I knew that them two houses in Lauriston Gardens was empty on account of him that owns them who won't have the drains seen to, though the very last tenant what lived in one of them died o' typhoid fever. I was knocked all in a heap therefore at seeing a light in the window, and I suspected as something was wrong. When I got to the door——"

   1887, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, A Study in Scarlet, page 60

   That’s her; that’s the thing what has stole his heart from me.

   1902, J. M. Barrie, The Admirable Crichton

   A diploma in the waiting room revealed Big Boy to be a member of The American Association of Medical Hydrology, whatever that might be. Furthermore he was a deacon of the Royal Aryan Society for Positive Christianity and as such was privileged to throw in divine healing without extra charge. That went right along with the three-dollar treatment for a touch of the astral power and a short lecture on the latent powers possessed by all of us. “Pow-wers what vassly transent our normaller ones,” was just how Big Boy put it.

   1949 November, Nelson Algren, “Rumors of Evening”, in The Man with the Golden Arm: A Novel, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday & Company, →OCLC, page 77

   For, it is a name what strikes fear in the heart of anyone what hears it.

   2017, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

   It's all to do with the crossing in the river[,] what we're gonna get to shortly. … there's a trust what manages it for the king [..]

   2026 June 1, Michael Wilson (King's Guide to the Sands), in "I took a long walk on a dangerous beach" (Tom Scott)

1. interrogativenot comparableIn what way; to what extent.

   What do you care?

   2 more examples

   What does it matter?

   It must be, what, twenty-five years since we first met.

2. not comparableUsed before a prepositional phrase to emphasise that something is taken into consideration as a cause or reason; usually used in combination with 'with' (see what with), and much less commonly with other prepositions.

   In short; what by the indiscretion of people here, what by the rebound which came often back from London, what by the private interests and ambitious views of persons in the French court, and what by other causes unnecessary to be examined now, the most private transactions came to light [...]

   1787, Henry St. John, Lord Viscount Bolingbroke, Letters on the Study and Use of History: A Letter to Sir William Windham, page 83

   1 more example

   The Chinese of all ranks, and in every place, received my books gladly, and listened with patience to what I had to say about the true God.—So that what from opportunities of attending to the object of my Mission among the Chinese—what from seasons of religious instruction to Dutch and English—what from intercourse with gentlemen of education and knowledge of the world—what from occasions of stating clearly the object of Missions, and of endeavouring to remove prejudices against them—and what from the view of a highly cultivated country, happy under an enlightened and liberal government, I have much reason to be satisfied with this journey …

   1815, Rev. Mr. Milne, letter reprinted in The Evangelical Magazine and Missionary Chronicle, Volume 23, page 82. https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=EPE6AQAAMAAJ&pg=RA1-PA82&dq=%22what+from%22

alternative wha · alternative wat

1. An expression of surprise or disbelief.

   What! That’s amazing!

   2 more examples

   wait this song is so good whattt

   What, have his daughters brought him to this pass?

   c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals)

2. What do you want? An abrupt, usually unfriendly enquiry as to what a person desires.

   What? I'm busy.

3. UKabbreviationclippingcolloquialdatedClipping of what do you say?, used as a type of tag question to emphasise a statement and invite agreement, often rhetorically.

   It’s a nice day, what?

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   “That’s riled them,” said my compaion. “Good work, what?”

   1918, Denis Garstin, The Shilling Soldiers, London: Hodder and Stoughton, page 83

   Chuffy: WHAT? No, no, no, no, no. My casa is your casa, what?

   1991 May 12, “Kidnapped!”, in Jeeves and Wooster, Series 2, Episode 5

4. What did you say? I beg your pardon? This usage is often considered impolite, with the more polite "Pardon?" or "Excuse me?" preferred.

   — Could I have some of those aarrrrrr mmmm ... — What?

   Synonyms: come again

5. Indicating a guess or approximation, or a pause to try to recall information.

   I must have been, what, about five years old.

plural whats

1. obsoleteuncountableSomething; thing; stuff.

   They prayd him sit, and gave him for to feed / Such homely what as serves the simple clowne, / That doth despise the dainties of the towne[…]

   1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book VI, Canto IX”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 7

2. countableThe identity of a thing, as an answer to a question of what.

   The emphasis on the interplay between the hows and whats of interpretive practice is paramount.

   2005, Norman K. Denzin, Yvonna S. Lincoln, The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Research, page 493

3. countableSomething that is addressed by what, as opposed to a person, addressed by who.

   2012, "We Are Both", season 2, episode 2 of Once Upon a Time Regina: What are you? Rumplestiltskin: What? What? What? My, my, what a rude question! I am not a what.

1. ManglishSinglishEmphasizes the truth of an assertion made to contradict an evidently false assumption held by the listener.

   Pitch contour: low [wʌt˩], low-dipping [wʌt˨˩]

   5 more examples

   — Sian sia, nearby here don’t have library. — The National Library is a five-minute walk from here what, no meh?

   Most things come from Europe what.

   1978, L. C. Cheong, Youth in the Army, page 142

   Susan: Jalan Sultan, ah? Quite far from Jurong, you know. I may not be able to get there on time. Jackson: […] I’ll tell Beng Huat to wait for you, lah. It’s not that far, what.

   1989, Eleanor Wong, Jackson on a Jaunt, or, Mistaken Identities, page 8, lines 5–9

   […] they can't be the same what?

   2007, yansimon52, soc.culture.singapore (Usenet)

   I told him to go to Woodlands to buy durian for me. He came back and said no durian. But he some more said-ah, he got see people selling durian in Bukit Timah. I ask him-ah. Why you never buy from Bukit Timah. On your way what.

   2007, Elangovan, P, Singapore, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 85‒86

2. ManglishSinglishUsed to invite agreement or acknowledgment when something is assumed to be straightforward or already obvious to begin with; similar in function to “right?” and “as you know”.

   Pitch contour: low [wʌt˩], low-dipping [wʌt˨˩]

   2 more examples

   If it doesn’t get sunlight, it won’t grow what, so you should consider moving it closer to the window.

   […] like Joel you can just melee what. Melee your way through if you can’t handle them […]

   2018, Weimin Toh, quoting Nasir, A Multimodal Approach to Video Games and the Player Experience, Taylor & Francis, →ISBN, page 2016

   Synonyms: mah

3. ManglishSinglishUsed after a direct assertion to reinforce a disagreeing opinion.

   The lava cakes are not that bad what.

   1 more example

   Pitch contour: low [wʌt˩], low-dipping [wʌt˨˩]

   Synonyms: leh