whoever

American  

[hoo-ev-er] / huˈɛv ər /

pronoun

possessive

whosever,

objective

whomever

1. whatever person; anyone that.

   Whoever did it should be proud. Ask whoever is there. Tell it to whomever you like.

2. no matter who.

   I won't do it, whoever asks.

3. who? what person? (used to express astonishment, disbelief, disdain, etc.).

   Whoever is that? Whoever told you such a thing?

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whoever British  

/ huːˈɛvə /

pronoun

1. any person who; anyone that

   whoever wants it can have it

2. no matter who

   I'll come round tomorrow, whoever may be here

3. an intensive form of who, used in questions

   whoever could have thought that?

4. informal an unknown or unspecified person

   give those to John, or Cathy, or whoever

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Etymology

Origin of whoever

Middle English word dating back to 1125–75; who, ever

Example Sentences

Whoever becomes the party's nominee will stand in November's midterm election.

From BBC

Whoever he plays against, Smith wants Friday to express himself.

From BBC

‘She’s made me realize that I can be whoever I want. That I don’t need to be defined by others who try to put me down. Hannie faced the most evil forces in the world with her head held high.’

From Literature

In the midst of the beer-swilling Bethpage shindig, Shane Lowry remarked that whoever follows Donald – whenever that might be – will have to fill a void as big as the one left by Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United.

From BBC

Detroit allows 108.9 points per 100 possessions, entering Tuesday’s games—which means that whoever lines up against the Pistons suddenly transforms into the worst offense in the entire NBA.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• someone