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

“They were very productive, so I thought maybe there’s something here,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal

"Everyone turned up expecting a win, maybe a comfortable one, and it wasn't that," he said.

From BBC

These two developments should worry investors who are waiting—maybe not all that patiently—for the biggest AI-related stocks to find their next jumping-off point.

From Barron's

But maybe not, he noted, if the company is able to get more favorable pricing than its competitors.

From MarketWatch

"Between maybe November and January, a quarter of the year, you know that you're going to be in a job that you love, enjoy and are bringing wonderful entertainment to everybody."

From BBC