which
Americanpronoun
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what one?.
Which of these do you want? Which do you want?
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whichever; any one that.
Choose which appeals to you.
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(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.
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(used relatively in restrictive clauses having that as the antecedent).
Damaged goods constituted part of that which was sold at the auction.
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(used after a preposition to represent a specified antecedent).
the horse on which I rode.
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(used relatively to represent a specified or implied antecedent) the one that; a particular one that.
You may choose which you like.
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(used in parenthetic clauses) the thing or fact that.
He hung around for hours and, which was worse, kept me from doing my work.
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Nonstandard. who or whom.
a friend which helped me move; the lawyer which you hired.
adjective
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what one of (a certain number or group mentioned or implied)?.
Which book do you want?
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whichever; any that.
Go which way you please, you'll end up here.
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being previously mentioned.
It stormed all day, during which time the ship broke up.
determiner
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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?
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( as pronoun )
which did you find?
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( used in indirect questions )
I wondered which apples were cheaper
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whatever of a class; whichever
bring which car you want
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( as pronoun )
choose which of the cars suit you
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used in relative clauses with inanimate antecedents
the house, which is old, is in poor repair
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as; and that: used in relative clauses with verb phrases or sentences as their antecedents
he died of cancer, which is what I predicted
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archaic a longer form of which, often used as a sentence connector
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Patrollers took pictures of license plates and immigration enforcement vehicles and then sent those pictures to the Community Self Defense Coalition, so its members knew which cars to look out for across L.A.
From Los Angeles Times
This is especially true of a highly-respected organization such as Gallup, which has, for almost nine decades, occupied an outsized role in American political life.
From Salon
This is especially true of a highly-respected organization such as Gallup, which has, for almost nine decades, occupied an outsized role in American political life.
From Salon
Public opinion polls, though, which include the measure of presidential approval, “could tell us what elections mean. They would provide a barometer of public opinion.”
From Salon
They were ultimately punished for not taking advantage of the platform set by captain Richie Berrington's 49, which had his side 113-3 in the 13th over.
From BBC
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.
