who
what person or persons?: Who did it?
(of a person) of what character, origin, position, importance, etc.: Who does she think she is?
the person that or any person that (used relatively to represent a specified or implied antecedent): It was who you thought.
(used relatively in restrictive and nonrestrictive clauses to represent a specified antecedent, the antecedent being a person or sometimes an animal or personified thing): Any kid who wants to can learn to swim.
Archaic. the person or persons who.
Idioms about who
as who should say, Archaic. in a manner of speaking; so to say.
Origin of who
1confusables note For who
In most speech and writing, however, since who or whom often occurs at the beginning of the sentence or clause, there is a strong tendency to choose who no matter what its function. Even in edited prose, who occurs at least ten times as often as whom, regardless of grammatical function. Only when it directly follows a preposition is whom more likely to occur than who: Mr. Erickson is the man to whom you should address your request.
In natural informal speech, whom is quite rare. Who were you speaking to? is far more likely to occur than the “correct” To whom were you speaking? or Whom were you speaking to? However, the notion that whom is somehow more “correct” or elegant than who leads some speakers to make an inappropriate hypercorrection: Whom are you? The person whom is in charge has left the office. See also than.
Other definitions for WHO (2 of 2)
World Health Organization: an agency of the United Nations, established in 1948, concerned with improving international public health and preventing or controlling communicable diseases on a worldwide basis through various technical projects and programs.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use who in a sentence
Yep, the song the Whos sing in How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
Pon my word, said Flick aggressively, whos disposing of things around here?
The Woman Gives | Owen JohnsonThe main thing is settlin down to something thats your own; findin the fellow whos worth helping on, and startin to save.
The Woman Gives | Owen JohnsonA man whos got a code of morals is moral, whether hes a libertine, a horse thief or—a minister.
The Wasted Generation | Owen JohnsonTentelyev, whos an awfully pushing fellow, began asking the host to present him; but directly she heard his name.
Smoke | Turgenev Ivan Sergeevich
You know her, Grigory Mihalitch; she told me she had met you at some Russians, whos a wonderfully intellectual person too.
Smoke | Turgenev Ivan Sergeevich
British Dictionary definitions for who (1 of 2)
/ (huː) /
which person? what person? used in direct and indirect questions: he can't remember who did it; who met you?
used to introduce relative clauses with antecedents referring to human beings: the people who lived here have left
the one or ones who; whoever: bring who you want
Origin of who
1who
British Dictionary definitions for WHO (2 of 2)
World Health Organization
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
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