maybe

American  

[mey-bee] / ˈmeɪ bi /

adverb

1. perhaps; possibly.

   Maybe I'll go too.

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noun

1. a possibility or uncertainty.

maybe British  

/ ˈmeɪˌbiː /

adverb

1. 1. perhaps

   2. ( as sentence modifier )

      maybe I'll come tomorrow

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1. possibly; neither yes nor no

Etymology

Origin of maybe

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English may be, short for it may be

Compare meaning

How does maybe compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• perhaps vs. maybe

Example Sentences

The 1964 Christmas single opens with the sound of footsteps that rapidly speed up; maybe it’s supposed to sound like some kind of dancing?

From Salon

We had maybe 12 beds in a room, and we all did stuff together.

From The Wall Street Journal

“With prices going up on stuff, you know, places that she would typically shop in the past maybe aren’t the most affordable to shop at” now, Roberts said.

From The Wall Street Journal

I want to say they weren’t from L.A., but maybe from Arizona.

From Los Angeles Times

Her whole team was so kind and we shot out on the balcony of the hotel room for maybe 10 minutes.

From Los Angeles Times