which

American  

[wich, hwich] / wɪtʃ, ʰwɪtʃ /

pronoun

1. what one?.

   Which of these do you want? Which do you want?

2. whichever; any one that.

   Choose which appeals to you.

3. (used relatively in restrictive and nonrestrictive clauses to represent a specified antecedent).

   The book, which I read last night, was exciting. The socialism which Owen preached was unpalatable to many. The lawyer represented five families, of which the Costello family was the largest.

4. (used relatively in restrictive clauses having that as the antecedent).

   Damaged goods constituted part of that which was sold at the auction.

5. (used after a preposition to represent a specified antecedent).

   the horse on which I rode.

6. (used relatively to represent a specified or implied antecedent) the one that; a particular one that.

   You may choose which you like.

7. (used in parenthetic clauses) the thing or fact that.

   He hung around for hours and, which was worse, kept me from doing my work.

8. Nonstandard.  who or whom.

   a friend which helped me move; the lawyer which you hired.

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adjective

1. what one of (a certain number or group mentioned or implied)?.

   Which book do you want?

2. whichever; any that.

   Go which way you please, you'll end up here.

3. being previously mentioned.

   It stormed all day, during which time the ship broke up.

which British  

/ wɪtʃ /

determiner

1. 1. used with a noun in requesting that its referent be further specified, identified, or distinguished from the other members of a class

      which house did you want to buy?

   2. ( as pronoun )

      which did you find?

   3. ( used in indirect questions )

      I wondered which apples were cheaper

2. 1. whatever of a class; whichever

      bring which car you want

   2. ( as pronoun )

      choose which of the cars suit you

3. used in relative clauses with inanimate antecedents

   the house, which is old, is in poor repair

4. as; and that: used in relative clauses with verb phrases or sentences as their antecedents

   he died of cancer, which is what I predicted

5. archaic  a longer form of which, often used as a sentence connector

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which Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing which

• (which) way the wind blows
• every which way
• know which side of bread is buttered

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Usage

The relative pronoun which refers to inanimate things and to animals: The house, which we had seen only from a distance, impressed us even more as we approached. The horses which pulled the coach were bay geldings. Formerly, which referred to persons, but this use, while still heard ( a man which I know ), is nonstandard. Contrary to the teachings of some usage guides, which introduces both restrictive and nonrestrictive clauses. The “rule” that which can be used only with nonrestrictive clauses has no basis in fact. In edited prose three-fourths of the clauses in which which is the relative pronoun are restrictive: A novel which he later wrote quickly became a bestseller. See also that.

Etymology

Origin of which

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English hwilc, hwelc, equivalent to hwe-, base of hwā interrogative pronoun, + -līc “body, shape, kind”; cognate with Old Frisian hwelik, Dutch welk, German welch, Gothic hwileiks literally, “of what form”; who, like ¹

Example Sentences

It has rallied 4.6% amid a four-day winning streak, which started after it closed at a six-month low on Nov. 24.

From MarketWatch

The “Wicked” sequel’s performance is Universal’s biggest success since “Jurassic World Rebirth,” which has earned $867 million worldwide since its release in July.

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Speaking to business leaders in Nagoya, Ueda said that the BOJ “will consider the pros and cons” of raising its policy interest rate at its upcoming policy meeting, which ends Dec. 19.

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Ueda’s remarks, which come at a time when the Japanese economy is experiencing a moderate recovery, triggered a global bond-market selloff that impacted debt trading in Australia and New Zealand, as well as in France, Italy, Greece and the U.S.

From MarketWatch

Yields and currencies tend to move alongside interest-rate expectations for specific countries, and rising Japanese bond rates were stoking concerns about a possible replay of the August 2024 unwind of the yen carry trade, which created a wave of volatility across global markets.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• that
• whatever