Meaning

(interrogative) What person or people; which person or people..

Definitions by Sense

1. (interrogative) What person or people; which person or people.
2. (relative) Used to refer to a previously mentioned person or people.
3. (fused relative, archaic outside set patterns) The person(s) whom; whomever.
4. (informal, especially non-US) Also used with names of collective nouns that are groups of people, especially singularly-named musical groups or sports teams.

Example Sentences

That is the woman whom I spoke to earlier. (defining)

Mr Smith, whom we all know well, will be giving the speech. (non-defining)

He's a person with whom I work (defining)

We have ten employees, half of whom are carpenters. (non-defining)

There is a new girl in the class whom I consider to be a wunderkind.

She felt miserable unless she had neighbors with whom to quarrel regularly.

“Anthea hasn't a notion in her head but to vamp a lot of silly mugwumps. She's set her heart on that tennis bloke[…]whom the papers are making such a fuss about.”

The eminent brain specialist to whom she alluded was a man I would not have cared to lunch with myself, our relations having been on the stiff side since the night at Lady Wickham's place in Hertfordshire when, acting on the advice of my hostess's daughter Roberta, I had punctured his hot-water bottle with a darning needle in the small hours of the morning. Quite unintentional, of course.

Word Forms

• of who
• whome

Related Words

When Should You Use Whom?

Use whom when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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