may

[ mey ]

auxiliary verb,present singular 1st person may,2nd may or (Archaic) may·est or mayst,3rd may;present plural may;past might.

(used to express possibility): It may rain.
(used to express opportunity or permission): You may enter.

(used to express contingency, especially in clauses indicating condition, concession, purpose, result, etc.): I may be wrong but I think you would be wise to go. Times may change but human nature stays the same.
(used to express wish or prayer): May you live to an old age.
Archaic. (used to express ability or power.)

Origin of may

First recorded before 900; Middle English mai, 1st and 3rd person singular present indicative of mouen “to be able, be strong,” Old English mæg (infinitive magan ); cognate with German mögen

confusables note For may

See can¹.

Compare might¹.

Words that may be confused with may

1. can, may (see confusables note at can)
2. may , might

Words Nearby may

Other definitions for may (2 of 3)

may²

[ mey ]

nounArchaic.

a maiden.

Origin of may

First recorded before 900; Middle English mai; Old English mæg

Other definitions for May (3 of 3)

May

[ mey ]

noun

the fifth month of the year, containing 31 days.
the early part of one's life, especially the prime: a young woman in her May.

the festivities of May Day.
(lowercase)British. the hawthorn.
a female given name.
Cape, a cape at the SE tip of New Jersey, on Delaware Bay.

verb (used without object)

(lowercase) to gather flowers in the spring: when we were maying.

Origin of May

First recorded before 1050; Middle English, Old English Maius, from Latin, short for Maius mēnsis “Maia's month”; see Maia

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use may in a sentence

A Customs and Border Protection staffer told top administration officials Thursday the agency is projecting a peak of 13,000 unaccompanied children crossing the border in may, sources directly familiar with the discussion told Axios.
Record 13,000 unaccompanied migrant kids projected to cross the U.S. border in May | Stef W. Kight | February 26, 2021 | Axios
The earliest that could happen is may — too late, say landlords, who argue that without access to the court, they can’t remove bad or violent tenants putting other residents at risk.
Judge denies District’s latest request to stop eviction filings | Kyle Swenson | February 26, 2021 | Washington Post
Earlier this month, Moore announced that in may he would end his four-year tenure at the New York City-based Robin Hood Foundation, a nonprofit group that works on anti-poverty measures.
Author, activist Wes Moore weighs bid for Maryland governor | Erin Cox | February 25, 2021 | Washington Post
China’s first trip to Mars will also attempt the difficult task of landing sometime in may or June.
What Mars exploration means for international politics back on earth | Tim Fernholz | February 18, 2021 | Quartz
Carolyn LydenDirector of Search ContentGoogle told site owners in may that Core Web Vitals would become part of its algorithms in 2021, and most SEOs have been working to improve their metrics before the launch.
Are Core Web Vitals worth the trouble? And confusion around passage ranking; Tuesday’s daily brief | Carolyn Lyden | February 16, 2021 | Search Engine Land

Willie Nelson and Norah Jones may-December fireplace flirting.
The Most WTF Covers of ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside,’ Everyone’s Favorite Date-Rape Holiday Classic | Kevin Fallon | November 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Under the strain of that feeling, many single men through the ages have adopted a devil-may-care attitude.
Money and Guns: How We Escape Our Existential Dread | James Poulos | April 18, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Can you imagine Walters, his executive-producing partner, post-may 16, lurking with him behind the cameras?
Don’t Remember Barbara Walters for ‘The View’ | Tim Teeman | April 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Jollity and gloom were contending for an empire,” wrote Nathaniel Hawthorne in his story “The may-Pole of Merry Mount.
A History of American Fun | Stefan Beck | February 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Then will come mid-may, when Congress needs to raise the debt ceiling again.
Mr. Reasonable's Last Stand | Michael Tomasky | April 11, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
His attitude was somewhat devil-may-care, his grip on life itself seemed slipping.
The Wave | Algernon Blackwood
In certain moods he possessed that dash and devil-may-care air which pleases most women, providing the man is a cosmopolitan.
The Doctor of Pimlico | William Le Queux
I recollect your 'may-day in the morning'—cuss me, the best comick song I ever heard.
Memoirs of Mr. Charles J. Yellowplush | William Makepeace Thackeray
On dark cold windy days, during the may-fly season you will find the small fly a much better killer than the may-fly.
The Teesdale Angler | R Lakeland
may-be you expected to have a china bowl and pitcher in your room, and somebody to empty your slop.
The English Orphans | Mary Jane Holmes

British Dictionary definitions for may (1 of 5)

may¹

/ (meɪ) /

verbpast might (takes an infinitive without to or an implied infinitive used as an auxiliary)

to indicate that permission is requested by or granted to someone: he may go to the park tomorrow if he behaves himself
(often foll by well) to indicate possibility: the rope may break; he may well be a spy

to indicate ability or capacity, esp in questions: may I help you?
to express a strong wish: long may she reign
to indicate result or purpose: used only in clauses introduced by that or so that: he writes so that the average reader may understand
another word for might 1
to express courtesy in a question: whose child may this little girl be?
be that as it may in spite of that: a sentence connector conceding the possible truth of a previous statement and introducing an adversative clause: be that as it may, I still think he should come
come what may whatever happens
that's as may be (foll by a clause introduced by but) that may be so

Origin of may

Old English mæg, from magan: compare Old High German mag, Old Norse mā

usage For may

It was formerly considered correct to use may rather than can when referring to permission as in: you may use the laboratory for your experiments, but this use of may is now almost entirely restricted to polite questions such as: may I open the window? The use of may with if in constructions such as: your analysis may have been more more credible if … is generally regarded as incorrect, might being preferred: your analysis might have been more credible if …

British Dictionary definitions for may (2 of 5)

may²

/ (meɪ) /

noun

an archaic word for maiden

Origin of may

Old English mæg; related to Old High German māg kinsman, Old Norse māgr a relative by marriage

British Dictionary definitions for may (3 of 5)

may³

/ (meɪ) /

noun

Also: may tree a Brit name for hawthorn
short for may blossom

Origin of may

C16: from the month of May, when it flowers

British Dictionary definitions for May (4 of 5)

May¹

/ (meɪ) /

noun

the fifth month of the year, consisting of 31 days

Origin of May

⁴

from Old French, from Latin Maius, probably from Maia, Roman goddess, identified with the Greek goddess Maia

British Dictionary definitions for May (5 of 5)

May²

/ (meɪ) /

noun

Robert McCredie, Baron. born 1936, Australian biologist and ecologist

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 may

may

see be that as it may; come what may; let the chips fall where they may; to whom it may concern.

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