Advertisement

Advertisement

whom

[hoom]

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?



whom

/ 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

“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
Discover More

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
Discover More

Confusables Note

See who .
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of whom1

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of whom1

Old English hwām, dative of hwā who
Discover More

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.

But what Nvidia is trying to say and to whom is not so clear to him.

Read more on MarketWatch

Double-check where you’ll be going, when, and with whom beforehand.

Read more on Salon

“I’m incredibly impressed with a lot of the work he’s done,” said Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, whom Crow has hosted on campus.

It’s understood that the home served as Rodgers’ primary residence for the next seven years, until he was traded to the Jets—with whom he spent just two seasons, before signing with the Steelers.

Read more on MarketWatch

And the residents — many of whom are poor— had lost their access to emergency medical care.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


whollywhomever