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 rooms in Irving’s stories are there on the shelf, inviting me to walk through them whenever I want.

From Los Angeles Times

The company says that its smart glasses "have an LED light that activates whenever someone captures content, so it's clear to others that the device is recording".

From BBC

"This app will give young people instant access to their results whenever they need them while freeing up teachers and college staff from unnecessary paperwork."

From BBC

The authority in November signed a 20-year pact with AMP, which has agreed to pay damages whenever it fails to divert 50% of the volume from the landfill.

From The Wall Street Journal

“This is a guy who could speak to the ballroom at the Century Plaza Hotel back in the day, and then the next day speak to six activists at a California Republican Assembly meeting at a Denny’s,” Fleischman said, recalling that whenever Reagan called, a picture of Michael and Ronald together would appear on his phone’s screen.

From Los Angeles Times