who
pronoun
what person or persons?.
who
1 American
[hoo]
/ hu /
pronoun
-
whom,
objective
-
whose
possessive
-
what person or persons?.
Who did it?
-
(of a person) of what character, origin, position, importance, etc..
Who does she think she is?
-
the person that or any person that (used relatively to represent a specified or implied antecedent).
It was who you thought.
-
(used relatively in restrictive and nonrestrictive clauses to represent a specified antecedent, the antecedent being a person or sometimes an animal or personified thing).
Any kid who wants to can learn to swim.
-
Archaic. the person or persons who.
idioms
WHO
2
American
[duhb-uhl-yoo-eych-oh]
/ ˈdʌb əlˌjuˈeɪtʃˈoʊ /
abbreviation
who
1
British
/ huː /
pronoun
-
which person? what person? used in direct and indirect questions
he can't remember who did it
who met you?
-
used to introduce relative clauses with antecedents referring to human beings
the people who lived here have left
-
the one or ones who; whoever
bring who you want
WHO
2
British
abbreviation
Usage
What is WHO? The World Health Organization, commonly abbreviated as WHO, is an agency of the United Nations that works to promote public health around the world. One of its principal focuses is combating communicable diseases, such as influenza, HIV, and malaria. In 2020, the World Health Organization notably helped coordinate international efforts to control and prevent the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the World Health Organization was founded on April 7, 1948, when its constitution came into force. WHO inherited the activities of its precursors, the International Office of Public Health, founded in 1907, and the League of Nations Health Organization (LNHO), which was dissolved in 1946. As stated in its constitution, the World Health Organization defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” The organization is guided by the principles that health is a fundamental human right and that every person should enjoy the highest standard of health. The World Health Organization helped lead one of the greatest public health achievements in history: the eradication of smallpox, a highly contagious disease that has ravaged humanity since antiquity. But in 1979, WHO declared smallpox officially eradicated—that is, eliminated as a naturally occurring disease—as the result of vaccination programs. The World Health Organization was also a major player in the near eradication of polio, a viral disease that can cause debilitating muscle weakness. WHO has helped spearhead efforts against many other communicable diseases, including Ebola, HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis. While best known for its work in fighting communicable diseases, the World Health Organization pursues a broad array of programs and projects across the globe addressing:
- noncommunicable diseases, such as cancer and diabetes
- health-related issues across people’s lifetimes
- tobacco and drug use
- environmental health issues, including clean air and water
- food safety and security
- road safety
- emergency response
- healthcare policies, including seeking universal healthcare coverage
Commonly Confused
The typical usage guide statement about the choice between who and whom says that the choice must be determined by the grammar of the clause within which this pronoun occurs. Who is the appropriate form for the subject of a sentence or clause: Who are you? The voters who elected him have not been disappointed. Whom is the objective form: Whom did you ask? To whom are we obliged for this assistance? This method of selecting the appropriate form is generally characteristic of formal writing and is usually followed in edited prose. In most speech and writing, however, since who or whom often occurs at the beginning of the sentence or clause, there is a strong tendency to choose who no matter what its function. Even in edited prose, who occurs at least ten times as often as whom, regardless of grammatical function. Only when it directly follows a preposition is whom more likely to occur than who: Mr. Erickson is the man to whom you should address your request. In natural informal speech, whom is quite rare. Who were you speaking to? is far more likely to occur than the “correct” To whom were you speaking? or Whom were you speaking to? However, the notion that whom is somehow more “correct” or elegant than who leads some speakers to make an inappropriate hypercorrection: Whom are you? The person whom is in charge has left the office. See also than .
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of who
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English hwā; cognate with Old High German hwer, Gothic hwas; akin to Greek tís, Irish cé, Latin quis, Latvian kas, Russian kto, Sanskrit ka
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:
And last year, a 27-year-old university student who went outside of official climbing season had to be rescued twice in four days - after he went back to look for his lost mobile phone.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
Corey Hinton, who played at St. John Bosco last season, goes 54 yards for TD with 6:49 left.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
It is awarded to an individual or group who improve or conserve their local environment.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
St. John Bosco is starting the season without its two prized transfer students, offensive tackle Elisha Mueller and defensive back Kingston Fatu, who will will be eligible on Sept. 28.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
A girl who believed in something enough to fight for it.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Tuesday marked the second meeting of the WHO emergency committee since it declared on May 17 the outbreak a so-called Public Health Emergency of International Concern -- its second-highest alert level.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
At a press briefing on Tuesday, WHO expert Thierno Balde described efforts to ramp up and decentralise the response to bring it closer to communities where the virus is spreading.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
The WHO said on Wednesday it hoped to reverse the spread of the disease within three months but warned that this meant bringing transmission under control - not ending the outbreak entirely.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
"We are chasing the virus, the virus is ahead of us," WHO Africa director Dr Mohamed Janabi said at a news conference in the city of Bunia, near the centre of the outbreak.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
He added that Arata Kochi, as head of the TB program for WHO, had come to recognize this threat and had introduced the idea of a DOTS-plus strategy.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
The writer’s grandmother, whom she called Nanna, had grown up nearby on a hardscrabble farm.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
The review was prompted by similarities in the deaths of D'Wit's father Vernon and the Baxters - all of whom were found dead in their armchairs.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
When I looked into the crowd, I saw my cousins and best friend I’d played with as a child, all of whom had driven in from Burbank, Thousand Oaks and Santa Clarita.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
The two seriously wounded were boys between the ages of 12 and 17, one of whom was in emergency surgery though both were in stable condition, the healthcare authority said on its website.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
With them was the Earl of Maytag, another unpleasant acquaintance of Lord Fredrick whom Penelope had met in the past.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
The event is being managed by the organizers of the IndyCar championship, the US motorsport whose cars resemble Formula One vehicles but often compete on oval tracks, including at the flagship Indianapolis 500 race.
From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026
It was made clear Jon Rahm - whose future is the source of considerable speculation - would not speak to media aside from his tournament obligations.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
As a child, Niederhoffer was a standout student, musician and athlete whose sports included handball, paddleball and tennis.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
The company, whose automated license readers document plate data as vehicles drive past, says it has partnerships with 5,000 law enforcement agencies nationwide.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
Salzburg cheated his eyes over toward Mom, whose face remained as impassive as stone.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
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.
