wherefore

[ hwair-fawr, -fohr, wair- ]
See synonyms for: whereforewherefores on Thesaurus.com

adverb
  1. Archaic. for what? why?

  2. for that cause or reason: Wherefore let us be grateful.

noun
  1. the cause or reason: to study the whys and wherefores of a situation.

Origin of wherefore

1
Middle English word dating back to 1150–1200; see origin at where, for

synonym study For wherefore

2. See therefore.

Words that may be confused with wherefore

Words Nearby wherefore

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

How to use wherefore in a sentence

  • wherefore my bowels shall sound like a harp for Moab, and my inward parts for the brick wall.

  • wherefore I have also bared thy thighs against thy face, and thy shame hath appeared.

  • wherefore it was but natural that President Castle's experts found it impossible to strangle the bill in committee.

    Scattergood Baines | Clarence Budington Kelland
  • wherefore those men carefully watching him, found Daniel praying and making supplication to his God.

  • wherefore, Bud finally concluded that Foster was not above helping himself to family property.

    Cabin Fever | B. M. Bower

British Dictionary definitions for wherefore

wherefore

/ (ˈwɛəˌfɔː) /


noun
  1. (usually plural) an explanation or reason (esp in the phrase the whys and wherefores)

adverb
  1. archaic for what reason? why?

sentence connector
  1. archaic, or formal for which reason: used as an introductory word in legal preambles

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with wherefore

wherefore

see whys and wherefores.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.