Showing results for "whom"

• objective of who.

whom

American  

[hoom] / hum /

pronoun

1. the objective case of who.

   Whom did you call? Of whom are you speaking? With whom did you stay?

2. the dative case of who.

   You gave whom the book?

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whom British  

/ huːm /

pronoun

1. the objective form of who , used when who is not the subject of its own clause

   whom did you say you had seen?

   he can't remember whom he saw

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Usage

It was formerly considered correct to use whom whenever the objective form of who was required. This is no longer thought to be necessary and the objective form who is now commonly used, even in formal writing: there were several people there who he had met before . Who cannot be used directly after a preposition – the preposition is usually displaced, as in the man ( who ) he sold his car to . In formal writing whom is preferred in sentences like these: the man to whom he sold his car . There are some types of sentence in which who cannot be used: the refugees, many of whom were old and ill, were allowed across the border

Commonly Confused

See who .

Etymology

Origin of whom

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English hwām, dative of interrogative pronoun hwā who

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

whom

The original study included only 68 participants, all of whom had mild to moderate osteoarthritis affecting the inner knee and demonstrated that at least one tested walking adjustment could reduce their joint loading.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026

“It’s not just about the financial loss, it is also an emotional hit” for the owners and for the company’s workers, some of whom have generational ties to the vineyard.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

O'Lali appeared in the dock alongside four other defendants in the case - three men and a woman, his partner Emma McCune, with whom he shares a six-month-old child.

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

It’s your house — and you can leave it to whom you want to.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026

It was their anxious governess whom Penelope was really telling to be brave.

From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood