what for
Idioms-
For what purpose or reason, why, as in I know you're going to England, but what for? [Mid-1700s]
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A punishment or scolding, as in You'll get what for from Mom if she catches you smoking , or The teacher really gave Bud what for . [ Colloquial ; second half of 1800s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
And he also sees semis as possibly “the latest commodity to boom this year,” drawing what for bulls may be a worrying comparison to the performance of silver stocks — though with a four-month lag.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 29, 2026
So now what for the Gunners academy graduate?
From BBC ● Mar. 14, 2026
In Obama’s White House, he suffered what for him might have been the severest penalty — being ignored.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 17, 2026
She was determined to shine a light on what, for many Americans on both sides of the color line, is a hidden and forgotten history.
From Salon ● Dec. 13, 2025
We’re all alive, but we don’t know why or what for; we’re all searching for happiness; we’re all leading lives that are different and yet the same.
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
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.
