whereas

American  

[hwair-, wair-az] / ʰwɛər-, wɛərˈæz /

conjunction

1. while on the contrary.

   One arrived promptly, whereas the others hung back.

2. it being the case that, or considering that (used especially in formal preambles).

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noun

plural

whereases

1. a qualifying or introductory statement, especially one having “whereas” as the first word.

   to read the whereases in the will.

whereas British  

/ wɛərˈæz /

conjunction

1. (coordinating) but on the other hand

   I like to go swimming whereas Sheila likes to sail

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1. (in formal documents to begin sentences) it being the case that; since

Etymology

Origin of whereas

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English wheras; equivalent to where + as ¹

Example Sentences

But another thing that’s different now is that the I-bond fixed rate is nearly a full percentage point, whereas in 2022 it was 0%, and the whole headline phenomenon was caused by inflation.

From MarketWatch • May 6, 2026

She works part-time and her husband works full-time, but despite the double income she said they had to "look at prices more whereas before we would put stuff straight into the trolley".

From BBC • May 5, 2026

“And her relationship with Lizzie is a different relationship, whereas this is Mary’s perspective. I absolutely took the script as my starting point, not previous iterations of the character.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026

MoffettNathanson analyst Michael Nathanson said that Meta’s higher capex is viewed to be more “speculative,” whereas Alphabet’s, for instance, is supported by growth in the Google parent company’s cloud backlog.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 30, 2026

The pinkie is hardly ever used; whereas I often use the index finger when I want to make an important point.

From "The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge" by M.T. Anderson and Eugene Yelchin