whoever

[ hoo-ev-er ]

/ huˈɛv ər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR whoever ON THESAURUS.COM

pronoun; possessive whos·ev·er; objective whom·ev·er.

whatever person; anyone that: Whoever did it should be proud. Ask whoever is there. Tell it to whomever you like.

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?

Nearby words

Origin of whoever

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

Can be confusedwhoever whomever

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for whoever

When twelve people are killed by violence, whoever they are, for whatever reason, that is a tragedy and a waste.
Trolls and Martyrdom: Je Ne Suis Pas Charlie|Arthur Chu|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
These addresses were used by whoever carried out the attack to control the malware and can be found in the malware code itself.
No, North Korea Didn’t Hack Sony|Marc Rogers|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The mass dump suggests that whoever did this, their primary motivation was to embarrass Sony Pictures.
No, North Korea Didn’t Hack Sony|Marc Rogers|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Whoever it is that Lebanese officials now have in custody, they clearly think she is valuable and worth publicizing.
The ISIS Wife Swap Mystery|Jacob Siegel|December 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST

“I identify with the fallen, whoever they may be,” Barry told me years later, in July 2013, during a weekend visit to New York.
Despite Crack and Graft, D.C. Loved ‘Hizzoner’ Marion Barry|Lloyd Grove|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But Baldinucci also relates that he had a specious answer ready for whoever remonstrated with him on thus endangering his soul.
A Handbook to the Works of Browning (6th ed.)|Mrs. Sutherland Orr
Probably they were certain that in the caves they would be safe from whoever had fired from the darkness.
The Caves of Fear|John Blaine
But think of the poor girls, whoever they are, out all alone at night, with maybe alligators around their boat!
The Moving Picture Girls Under the Palms|Laura Lee Hope
No man, whoever he may be, likes to be set upon work which appears to be altogether a waste of time and effort.
Talks To Farmers|Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Whoever before had even dreamed of giving little hard-worked Anne a sovereign?
How It All Came Round|L. T. Meade

British Dictionary definitions for whoever

whoever

/ (huːˈɛvə) /

pronoun

any person who; anyone thatwhoever wants it can have it

no matter whoI'll come round tomorrow, whoever may be here

an intensive form of who, used in questionswhoever could have thought that?

informal an unknown or unspecified persongive those to John, or Cathy, or whoever

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for whoever