what's with

Idioms  

1. Also, what's up with; what gives with. What is going on with; tell me about or explain it. For example, What's with all the food they're giving away? or What's up with Lee these days? or What gives with Jack? Why is he so glum? This idiom is also sometimes used as a substitute for how are you or what's wrong, as in Hi, Pam, what's with you? or What gives with you—why are you yelling? [Colloquial; c. 1940]

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Example Sentences

Nury Martinez I go, “What is with, what’s with Bonin?”

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 21, 2022

“I asked the nurse what’s with the eyes,” Boikiv said.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 25, 2022

And what’s with all the Red Keep rats?

From New York Times • Sep. 25, 2022

And what’s with that lens flare just off center?

From Washington Post • Feb. 5, 2020

He says, “Hey, Mason, what’s with the way the hill is cut there? How come it drops off so flat? Like a wall? And what’s behind the brambles?”

From "The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle" by Leslie Connor