whenever

American  

[hwen-, wen-ev-er, hwuhn-, wuhn-] / ʰwɛn-, wɛnˈɛv ər, ʰwən-, wən- /

conjunction

1. at whatever time; at any time when.

   Come whenever you like.

2. when? (used emphatically).

   Whenever did he say that?

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whenever British  

/ wɛnˈɛvə /

conjunction

1. (subordinating) at every or any time that; when

   I laugh whenever I see that

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adverb

1. no matter when

   it'll be here, whenever you decide to come for it

2. informal at an unknown or unspecified time

   I'll take it if it comes today, tomorrow, or whenever

3. an intensive form of when, used in questions

   whenever did he escape?

Etymology

Origin of whenever

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; when, ever

Example Sentences

“The community embraced this project as something that reflects them in a way that they want to be reflected, and that, for me, is one of my goals whenever I do create a film.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 2026

"I know I'm not a dangerous driver, but there is a difference whenever I drive. I'll always get knocked down a bit on the smoothness," she says.

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ducks the question whenever he’s asked about it.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

I tend to order tartare whenever I see it, and Redbird’s version stands out: served over a crisp potato tosti with caramelized onion crema, egg jam, pickled pearl onion, and shaved marrow.

From Salon • Mar. 31, 2026

But Tío Yehuda doesn’t mind telling me about the printing press whenever I’m curious.

From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar