where
Americanadverb
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in or at what place?.
Where is he? Where do you live?
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in what position or circumstances?.
Where do you stand on this question? Without money, where are you?
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in what particular respect, way, etc.?.
Where does this affect us?
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to what place, point, or end? whither?.
Where are you going?
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from what source? whence?.
Where did you get such a notion?
conjunction
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in or at what place, part, point, etc..
Find where he is. Find where the trouble is.
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in or at the place, part, point, etc., in or at which.
The book is where you left it.
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in a position, case, etc., in which.
Where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise.
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in any place, position, case, etc., in which; wherever.
Use the ointment where pain is felt.
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to what or whatever place; to the place or any place to which.
I will go where you go.
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in or at which place; and there.
They came to the town, where they lodged for the night.
pronoun
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what place?.
Where did you come from?
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the place in which; point at which.
This is where the boat docks. That was where the phone rang.
noun
idioms
adverb
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in, at, or to what place, point, or position?
where are you going?
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( used in indirect questions )
I don't know where they are
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in, at, or to which (place)
the hotel where we spent our honeymoon
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(subordinating) in the place at which
where we live it's always raining
noun
Usage
Where … at ( Where was he at? ) and where … to ( Where is this leading to? ) are often criticized as redundant because neither at nor to adds anything to the meaning of where, and sentences like the preceding ones are perfectly clear and standard without the final at or to. This criticism does not apply to where … from, which is fully standard: Where does the money come from? The constructions where … at and where … to occur in the speech of educated people but are rare in formal speech and edited writing.
It was formerly considered incorrect to use where as a substitute for in which after a noun which did not refer to a place or position, but this use has now become acceptable: we now have a situation where/in which no further action is needed
Etymology
Origin of where
First recorded before 900; Middle English quher, wher, Old English hwǣr; cognate with Dutch waar, Old High German hwār; akin to Old Norse hvar, Gothic hwar
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.
Had I accidentally discovered a supernatural portal where time and space didn’t exist, one where random phenomena of blinding beauty could materialize on this plane without any logical explanation?
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
He observed one stopping for a dip in the garden pool, highlighting the increasingly common overlap between wildlife and residential life in Los Angeles County, where housing developments have spread into bear habitat.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
They include many places where young people typically gather, like the city's Palace of Culture.
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
They’ll always know where their next meal is coming from and what to wear.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
“Our family business started here. This is where I was born. It feels like home.”
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
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.
