wheen

[ hween, ween ]

/ ʰwin, win /

Scot. and North England

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adjective

few.

noun

a few persons or things.

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Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of wheen

1325–75; Middle English (north) quheyn,Old English hwēne, instrumental case of hwōn few, a few

Words nearby wheen

wheel trim, wheel window, wheel wobble, wheelwork, wheelwright, wheen, wheesh, wheeze, wheezy, whelk, whelked

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use wheen in a sentence

I'm saying—my lads—will ye gie ower this weary warrk a wee whilee and sheer a wheen sheep to me?
It Is Never Too Late to Mend|Charles Reade
I've written books myself, and who reads them but a wheen of graybeards, and they drowsing by the fire?
The Wind Bloweth|Brian Oswald Donn-Byrne
A similar tendency is in the sound of whine, which in Munster is always made wheen: 'What's that poor child wheening for?'
English As We Speak It in Ireland|P. W. Joyce
Wheen; a small number, a small quantity:—'I was working for a wheen o' days': 'I'll eat a wheen of these gooseberries.'
English As We Speak It in Ireland|P. W. Joyce

Weel, sir, there's a guid wheen veesitors in Inverness the noo: so sit whaur ye can see yer umbrella!
Mr. Punch On Tour|Various

British Dictionary definitions for wheen

wheen

/ (wiːn, Scottish hwiːn) /

determiner Scot and Northern English dialect

few; some

(preceded by a)

a small number of
a good number of
(as pronoun; functioning as plural)a wheen of years

Word Origin for wheen

Old English hwēne, instrumental of hwōn few, a few

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