whoever
Americanpronoun
possessive
whosever,objective
whomever-
whatever person; anyone that.
Whoever did it should be proud. Ask whoever is there. Tell it to whomever you like.
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no matter who.
I won't do it, whoever asks.
-
who? what person? (used to express astonishment, disbelief, disdain, etc.).
Whoever is that? Whoever told you such a thing?
pronoun
-
any person who; anyone that
whoever wants it can have it
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no matter who
I'll come round tomorrow, whoever may be here
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an intensive form of who, used in questions
whoever could have thought that?
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informal an unknown or unspecified person
give those to John, or Cathy, or whoever
Etymology
Origin of whoever
Middle English word dating back to 1125–75; see origin at who, ever
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.
In the wake of the Artemis II mission’s successful end, we have to give a hand not only to its remarkable crew but to whoever was in charge of their social-media strategy.
From Salon • Apr. 25, 2026
Watchdogs and think tanks alike have warned that whoever becomes Scotland's finance secretary will be faced with a series of challenges.
From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026
Spare a thought for whoever records the audiobook.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026
He could just take a tight end or whoever came to block him, grab his pads, shove him off and go make the play.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 20, 2026
When she turned to give a nervous smile to whoever it was, she recognized the pink scar beside his left eye.
From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack
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.
