whereof

American

[wair-uhv, -ov, hwair-] / wɛərˈʌv, -ˈɒv, ʰwɛər- /

adverb

of what, which, or whom.

whereof British

/ wɛərˈɒv /

adverb

of what or which person or thing?

"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

pronoun

of which (person or thing)

the man whereof I speak is no longer alive

"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

Etymology

Origin of whereof

First recorded in 1150–1200, whereof is from the Middle English word wherof. See where, of ¹

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.

See Examples For:

whereof

He quotes on his opening page Aubrey’s comment about the loss of information about many figures of Aubrey’s own time: “for want whereof many worthy men’s names and notions are swallowd-up in oblivion.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

Karmel knew whereof he quipped — he’d been fat his whole life and at one point during his “Late Late” tenure topped the scales at 420 pounds.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2024

“Crime or no crime, Isiah knows whereof he speaks,” Detroit Free Press, Sept. 27, 1986.

From Slate ● Aug. 18, 2022

Mr. Wolf, the lupine leader of the larcenous critters at the center of the delightful animated comedy “The Bad Guys,” knows whereof he speaks.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 21, 2022

For Pliny and others make divers sorts of them, the best whereof is the Ethiopian.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023