whenever

[ wen-ev-er, hwen-, wuhn-, hwuhn- ]
See synonyms for whenever on Thesaurus.com
conjunction
  1. at whatever time; at any time when: Come whenever you like.

  2. when? (used emphatically): Whenever did he say that?

Origin of whenever

1
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at when, ever

Words Nearby whenever

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use whenever in a sentence

  • The real experience has a magnetism of its own and will win above mere technicality whenever it has the opportunity.

    Expressive Voice Culture | Jessie Eldridge Southwick
  • I knew he was pleased, because whenever he corrected me he would say, "Nein, Kindchen" in such a gentle way!

  • Is it true that whenever we are about to do an ill or unjust deed a shadow of the fruits it will bring comes over us as a warning?

    Elster's Folly | Mrs. Henry Wood
  • whenever he visited the garden he told everybody that he should never come there again because Grandfather Mole was too greedy.

    The Tale of Grandfather Mole | Arthur Scott Bailey
  • There were machine guns here which wiped out the landing parties whenever they tried to get ashore North of the present line.

British Dictionary definitions for whenever

whenever

/ (wɛnˈɛvə) /


conjunction
  1. (subordinating) at every or any time that; when: I laugh whenever I see that

adverbAlso: when ever
  1. no matter when: it'll be here, whenever you decide to come for it

  2. informal at an unknown or unspecified time: I'll take it if it comes today, tomorrow, or whenever

  1. an intensive form of when, used in questions: whenever did he escape?

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012