whom

[hoom]

pronoun

1. the objective case of who.

   Whom did you call? Of whom are you speaking? With whom did you stay?

2. the dative case of who.

   You gave whom the book?

whom

/ huːm /

pronoun

1. the objective form of who , used when who is not the subject of its own clause

   whom did you say you had seen?

   he can't remember whom he saw

Usage

It was formerly considered correct to use whom whenever the objective form of who was required. This is no longer thought to be necessary and the objective form who is now commonly used, even in formal writing: there were several people there who he had met before . Who cannot be used directly after a preposition – the preposition is usually displaced, as in the man ( who ) he sold his car to . In formal writing whom is preferred in sentences like these: the man to whom he sold his car . There are some types of sentence in which who cannot be used: the refugees, many of whom were old and ill, were allowed across the border

Confusables Note

See who .

Word History and Origins

Origin of whom¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English hwām, dative of interrogative pronoun hwā who

Word History and Origins

Origin of whom¹

Old English hwām, dative of hwā _who

Example Sentences

Newcastle United were in the market for a centre-back and there was not exactly a long list of realistic names whom the head coach believed could make the difference.

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Katherine Rees said she was "shocked and saddened" that the Coral Adventurer left "without my mum", whom she described as healthy, active, a keen gardener and bushwalker.

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As governor, Schwarzenegger observed how deeply entrenched lawmakers became, depending on whom they represented.

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Also aboard was Bilal bin Saqib, a Pakistani tech entrepreneur whom World Liberty would later name an adviser.

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I had never had anything remotely so coherent from any of my doctors, most of whom belong to a healthcare network that could easily use AI to help prepare annual health assessments for patients—with progress reports, and recommended tests and goals.

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