maybe

[mey-bee]

See more synonyms for maybe on Thesaurus.com

adverb

perhaps; possibly: Maybe I'll go too.

noun

a possibility or uncertainty.

Origin of maybe

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for maybe

Contemporary Examples

“Our first few months we had maybe one client and then we went on The Tyra Banks Show,” says James.
Career-Minded Women Turn to Male Escorts For No-Strings Fun and (Maybe) Sex
Aurora Snow
January 3, 2015
Except for maybe his brainiac wife… but she could do better anyway.
All Your Internet Boyfriends Are Taken: Gosling, Cumberbatch, and now Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Melissa Leon
January 3, 2015
But maybe you have to start somewhere else — with Lamont Waltman Marvin, Monty, his father, the Chief, the old man.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile
Robert Ward
January 3, 2015
I was out, maybe in the Great Barrier Reef catching black marlin.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile
Robert Ward
January 3, 2015
Who knew that “we shall overcome” meant “we, the few, shall book covers every decade or so, maybe, sometimes, if we are in style.”
One Vogue Cover Doesn’t Solve Fashion’s Big Race Problem
Danielle Belton
January 2, 2015

Historical Examples

Maybe he museth, but he had scarce a word to say for himself.
The Armourer's Prentices
Charlotte M. Yonge
I wonder you got the nerve to sit there now with maybe ten men trailin' you to this cabin.
Way of the Lawless
Max Brand
By the way, if you're out of Hal's country, maybe you know Lanning, too?
Way of the Lawless
Max Brand
Maybe the thought that the dead are lost to us was too unbearable.
Ballads of a Bohemian
Robert W. Service
Maybe yourself and Eamon would make a coffin when the sun rises.
Riders to the Sea
J. M. Synge

British Dictionary definitions for maybe

maybe

adverb

1. perhaps
2. (as sentence modifier)maybe I'll come tomorrow

sentence substitute

possibly; neither yes nor no

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

Word Origin and History for maybe

adv.

early 15c., from (it) may be; see may (v.1) + be (v.). Still sometimes written as two words early 19c.

maybe

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}maybe

Examples from the Web for maybe

Contemporary Examples

“Our first few months we had maybe one client and then we went on The Tyra Banks Show,” says James.

Except for maybe his brainiac wife… but she could do better anyway.

But maybe you have to start somewhere else — with Lamont Waltman Marvin, Monty, his father, the Chief, the old man.

I was out, maybe in the Great Barrier Reef catching black marlin.

Who knew that “we shall overcome” meant “we, the few, shall book covers every decade or so, maybe, sometimes, if we are in style.”

Historical Examples

Maybe he museth, but he had scarce a word to say for himself.

I wonder you got the nerve to sit there now with maybe ten men trailin' you to this cabin.

By the way, if you're out of Hal's country, maybe you know Lanning, too?

Maybe the thought that the dead are lost to us was too unbearable.

Maybe yourself and Eamon would make a coffin when the sun rises.

maybe

Word Origin and History for maybe

adv.

Origin of maybe