When

/ˈwɛn/ · adverb

Meaning

(interrogative) At what time? At which time? Upon which occasion or circumstance? Used to introduce direct or indirect questions about time..

Definitions by Sense

1. (interrogative) At what time? At which time? Upon which occasion or circumstance? Used to introduce direct or indirect questions about time.
2. At an earlier time and under different, usually less favorable, circumstances.
3. (relative) At which, on which, during which: often omitted or replaced with that.
4. (fused relative) The time at, on or during which.
5. (informal, in definitions or explanations) A circumstance or situation in which.
6. At (or as soon as) that time that; at the (or any and every) time that; if.
7. During the time that; at the time of the action of the following clause or participle phrase.
8. At what time; at which time.

Example Sentences

When will they arrive?

Do you know when they arrived?

I don't know when they arrived.

When they arrived is unknown.

What words are used as interrogative pronouns? — Give examples. When are the words, what, which, and that, called adj. pron.? When are they called interrogative pronominal adjectives?

He's mister high and mighty now, but I remember him when.

That was the day when the Twin Towers fell.

Not a week goes by when I don't mourn that loss.

Synonyms for when

Antonyms for when

Related Words

Word Forms

• wen
• whens

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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