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five W's

American  

plural noun

  1. Journalism. who, what, when, where, and why: along with how, the essential questions about the subject of a news story that the lead is traditionally expected to answer.

Example Sentences

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This is one of the core principles captured by the dictate of the five W's -- who, what, when, how and why -- taught in every high school-level journalism class.

From Salon • Jun. 20, 2018

In journalism, there are five W’s — who, what, why, where and when.

From New York Times • Jul. 17, 2016

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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