whose

W4H4O1S1E1
UK, US/huːz/

determiner

Of whom, belonging to whom; which person's or people's.

“Whose (wallet) is this?”

OriginMiddle English whos ← Old English hwæs ← Proto-Germanic *hwes →
Very commonScrabble 11
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Meanings

whose1

determiner
  1. interrogativeOf whom, belonging to whom; which person's or people's.

    Whose (wallet) is this?

    2 more examples

    We should buy a house. ~ With whose money?

    For whose benefit are you acting.?

  2. relativeOf whom, belonging to whom.

    This is the man whose dog caused the accident.

    5 more examples

    Venus, whose sister is Serena, won the latest championship.

    I dedicate this award to my parents, without whose help I wouldn't have made it this far.

    The victim was a youngster, both of whose eyes were missing.

    It is Marconi whose name is associated with the development of radio.

    Ammon is an Egyptian god near whose temple ammonia and ammoniac were said to come.

  3. relativeOf which, belonging to which.

    We saw several houses whose roofs were falling off.

pronoun
  1. interrogativeThat or those of whom or belonging to whom.

    He asked whose the umbrella was.

    1 more example

    Several people have lost their suitcases. Whose have you found?

  2. relativeThat or those of whom or belonging to whom.

    This car is blocking the way, but Mr Smith, whose it is, will be here shortly.

    3 more examples

    For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve,

    1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Acts 27:23

    If he starts it on another man's lands, and kills it there, it belongs to the owner of the land; but if he start game on one man's lands, and pursue it to those of another, and kill it there, it is neither the property of the man on whose lands it is started, nor of him on whose it is killed, but belongs to the killer.

    1833, Tait's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 3, page 637 (Google Books view)

    The notes on authors are extremely brilliant and incisive, not always in good perspective and sometimes freaky in their wit, as, for instance, the reference to Mrs. Holmes, of whose books it is said, "The secret of their long popularity has never been divulged by their readers," and Mrs. Harris, of whose it is said, "To a lively mind they should be conducive of profound sleep," which, whatever its faults, is by no means true of "Rutledge."

    1895, Library Journal, Volume 20, page 397 (Google Books view)
contraction
  1. contractionmisspellingMisspelling of who's.

Whose2

determiner
  1. honorificHonorific alternative letter-case form of whose, sometimes used when referring to God or another important figure who is understood from context.

    Saviour, Whose love constrained them / To toil with zeal untired,

    1931 January, Frank Houghton, “The Unfinished Task”, in China’s Millions, volume LVII, number 1, page 6

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
which's

Origin

  1. Proto-Germanic*hwes
  2. Old Englishhwæs
  3. Middle Englishwhos
  4. Englishwhose

From Middle English whos, from Old English hwæs, from Proto-Germanic *hwes, genitive case of *hwaz (“who”) *hwat (“what”).

More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-Germanic

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek τινῶν (tinôn), τίνος (tínos)
  • τινῶν (tinôn)of whom (interrogative)
  • τίνος (tínos)of whom (interrogative)
  • τοῦ (toû)of whom (interrogative)
  • οὗ (hoû)of whom (relative)
  • ἧς (hês)of whom (relative)
  • ὧν (hôn)of whom (relative)
  • οἷν (hoîn)of whom (relative)
  • αἷν (haîn)of whom (relative)
Arabic لِمَن, اَلَّذِي
  • لِمَن (liman)of whom (interrogative)
  • اَلَّذِي (allaḏī)of whom (relative)
  • اَلَّتِي (allatī)of whom (relative)
  • اَلَّذِينَ (allaḏīna)of whom (relative)
  • اَللَّوَاتِي (al-lawātī)of whom (relative)
Bulgarian чий
  • чий (čij)of whom (interrogative)
Catalan de qui, el subjecte del qual
  • de quiof whom (interrogative)
  • el subjecte del qualof whom (relative)
  • de quiof whom (relative)
Chinese Mandarin 誰的 /谁的
  • 誰的 /谁的 (shuí de, shéi de)of whom (interrogative)
Czech čí, jehož m or n jejíž f jejichž
  • číof whom (interrogative)
  • jehož m or n jejíž f jejichžof whom (relative)
  • jehož m or n jejíž f jejichžof which (relative)
Danish hvis, hvis
  • hvisof whom (interrogative)
  • hvisof whom (relative)
  • hvisof which (relative)
Dutch van wie, wiens
  • van wieof whom (interrogative)
  • wiensof whom (interrogative)
  • wierof whom (interrogative)
  • van wieof whom (relative)
  • wiensof whom (relative)
  • wierof whom (relative)
  • waarvanof which (relative)
Esperanto kies, kies
  • kiesof whom (interrogative)
  • kiesof whom (relative)
  • kiesof which (relative)
Estonian kelle, kelle
  • kelleof whom (interrogative)
  • kelleof whom (relative)
  • milleof which (relative)
Finnish kenen, jonka
  • kenenof whom (interrogative)
  • jonkaof whom (relative)
  • jonkaof which (relative)
French à qui, de qui
  • à quiof whom (interrogative)
  • de quiof whom (relative)
  • dontof whom (relative)
  • dontof which (relative)
  • duquelof which (relative)
  • de laquelleof which (relative)
  • desquelsof which (relative)
  • desquellesof which (relative)
  • à qui?(interrogative) that or those of whom or belonging to whom
German wessen, dessen
  • wessenof whom (interrogative)
  • dessenof whom (relative)
  • derenof whom (relative)
  • dessenof which (relative)
  • derenof which (relative)
  • wem gehört/gehören?(interrogative) that or those of whom or belonging to whom
  • wessen(interrogative) that or those of whom or belonging to whom
Greek ποιανού, ποιανής
  • ποιανού (poianoú)of whom (interrogative)
  • ποιανής (poianís)of whom (interrogative)
  • ποιανών (poianón)of whom (interrogative)
  • τίνος (tínos)of whom (interrogative)
  • του οποίου (tou opoíou)of whom (relative)
  • της οποίας (tis opoías)of whom (relative)
  • των οποίων (ton opoíon)of whom (relative)
Hebrew שֶׁל מִי
  • שֶׁל מִי (shel mi)of whom (interrogative)
Hindi किस का, किसका
  • किस का (kis kā)of whom (interrogative)
  • किसका (kiskā)of whom (interrogative)
  • जिसका (jiskā)of whom (relative)
  • जिसका (jiskā)of which (relative)
Hungarian kié?, akié
  • kié?(interrogative) that or those of whom or belonging to whom
  • akié(relative) that or those of whom or belonging to whom
Indonesian punya siapa, yang
  • punya siapaof whom (interrogative)
  • yangof whom (relative)
  • yang manaof whom (relative)
  • yangof which (relative)
  • yang manaof which (relative)
Irish cé, leis
  • céof whom (interrogative)
  • leisof whom (interrogative)
Italian di chi, il cui
  • di chiof whom (interrogative)
  • il cuiof whom (relative)
  • il cuiof which (relative)
Japanese 誰の, どなたの
  • 誰のof whom (interrogative)
  • どなたの (donata no)of whom (interrogative)
Korean 누구의, 누구 것
  • 누구의 (nuguui)of whom (interrogative)
  • 누구 것 (nugu geot)of whom (interrogative)
Latin cuius, quorum
  • cuiusof whom (interrogative)
  • quorumof whom (interrogative)
  • quarumof whom (interrogative)
  • cuiusof whom (relative)
  • quorumof whom (relative)
  • quarumof whom (relative)
  • cuiusof which (relative)
  • quorumof which (relative)
  • quarumof which (relative)
  • cuius(interrogative) that or those of whom or belonging to whom
  • cuius(relative) that or those of whom or belonging to whom
Malay milik siapa, kepunyaan siapa
  • milik siapaof whom (interrogative)
  • kepunyaan siapaof whom (interrogative)
Norwegian hvis, hvis
  • hvisof whom (relative)
  • hvisof which (relative)
Norwegian Bokmål hvem sin, hvems
  • hvem sinof whom (interrogative)
  • hvemsof whom (interrogative)
  • hvisof whom (interrogative)
Polish czyj, który
  • czyjof whom (interrogative)
  • któryof whom (relative)
  • któryof which (relative)
Portuguese de quem, cujo
  • de quemof whom (interrogative)
  • cujoof whom (relative)
  • cujaof whom (relative)
  • cujoof which (relative)
  • cujaof which (relative)
  • cujosof which (relative)
  • cujasof which (relative)
  • cujo(relative) that or those of whom or belonging to whom
Romanian cui
  • cuiof whom (relative)
Russian чей, че́йный
  • чей (čej)of whom (interrogative)
  • че́йный (čéjnyj)of whom (interrogative)
  • чей (čej)of whom (relative)
  • кото́рого (kotórovo)of which (relative)
  • чей (čej)of which (relative)
Slovak čí
  • číof whom (interrogative)
Spanish de quién, cúyo
  • de quiénof whom (interrogative)
  • cúyoof whom (interrogative)
  • cúyaof whom (interrogative)
  • cúyosof whom (interrogative)
  • cúyasof whom (interrogative)
  • de quienof whom (relative)
  • cuyoof whom (relative)
  • cuyaof whom (relative)
  • cuyosof whom (relative)
  • cuyasof whom (relative)
  • cuyoof which (relative)
  • cuyaof which (relative)
  • de quién(interrogative) that or those of whom or belonging to whom
  • cúyo(interrogative) that or those of whom or belonging to whom
  • cúya(interrogative) that or those of whom or belonging to whom
  • cúyos(interrogative) that or those of whom or belonging to whom
  • cúyas(interrogative) that or those of whom or belonging to whom
  • de quien(relative) that or those of whom or belonging to whom
  • cuyo(relative) that or those of whom or belonging to whom
  • cuya(relative) that or those of whom or belonging to whom
  • cuyos(relative) that or those of whom or belonging to whom
  • cuyas(relative) that or those of whom or belonging to whom
Swedish vems, vars
  • vemsof whom (interrogative)
  • varsof whom (relative)
  • varsof which (relative)
Tagalog kanino
  • kaninoof whom (interrogative)
Tamil யாருடைய
  • யாருடைய (yāruṭaiya)of whom (interrogative)
Turkish kimin, kiminki
  • kiminof whom (interrogative)
  • kiminki(interrogative) that or those of whom or belonging to whom
Ukrainian чий
  • чий (čyj)of whom (interrogative)
Urdu کس کا, جس کا
  • کس کا (kis kā)of whom (interrogative)
  • جس کا (jis kā)of whom (relative)
  • جس کا (jis kā)of which (relative)
Vietnamese của ai
  • của aiof whom (interrogative)
Yiddish וועמענס
  • וועמענס (vemens)of whom (interrogative)

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with whose

newsusechooseabusecruiselosebluesdosCruzHughesrefuseexcusereuseduesmusefusecrewsmisuseToulousegusdiffuseconfuseboozeaccuse
All rhymes →

Sounds the same

who'swhoswho'swhoswho'swhos

Anagrams

howesHowse
Cite this entry
APA

whose. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/whose

MLA

“whose.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/whose. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “whose,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/whose.

Source: whose on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.