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whose

[ hooz ]

/ huz /

pronoun

(the possessive case of who used as an adjective): Whose umbrella did I take? Whose is this one?

(the possessive case of which used as an adjective): a word whose meaning escapes me; an animal whose fur changes color.

the one or ones belonging to what person or persons: Whose painting won the third prize?

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What does “blatherskite” mean?

a person given to voluble, empty talk.

an ancient Greek or Roman farce that depended for effect largely upon ludicrous actions and gestures.

a check whose amount has been raised by forgery before cashing.

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Origin of whose

before 900; Middle English whos,early Middle English hwās; replacing hwas,Old English hwæs, genitive of hwāwho

usage note for whose

Sometimes the phrase of which is used as the possessive of which: Chicago is a city of which the attractions are many or Chicago is a city the attractions of which are many. The use of this phrase can often seem awkward or pretentious, whereas whose sounds more idiomatic: Chicago is a city whose attractions are many.

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH whose

who's, whose (see usage note at the current entry)

Words nearby whose

whorled, whort, whortleberry, who's, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, whose, whosesoever, whosever, whosis, whoso, whosoever

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for whose

Cassandra, whose hair has already begun to fall out from her court-mandated chemotherapy, could face a similar outcome.
Should Teens Have The Right To Die?|Brandy Zadrozny|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
So, whose bidding do we think these candidates are going to do?
The 100 Rich People Who Run America|Mark McKinnon|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
That was accomplished by cops such as the one whose picture was clutched so tightly by his widow on Sunday.
Funeral Protest Is Too Much for NYPD Union Boss|Michael Daly|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
One was a Quaker school, whose name he can no longer recall, in upstate New York.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST

That tweet came from Shay Horse, whose bio lists him as an independent photojournalist with ties to Occupy Wall Street.
The Monsters Who Screamed for Dead Cops|Jacob Siegel|December 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Exile was then imposed as a penance on Columba, whose act had been the original cause of offence.
Ireland under the Tudors, Volume I (of II)|Richard Bagwell
The celebrated navigator, whose heroic death is one of our worthiest traditions.
Witch, Warlock, and Magician|William Henry Davenport Adams
Thus he became acquainted with a famous singing girl called Tu, whose first name was Mei, or "Elegance."
Eastern Shame Girl|Charles Georges Souli
This was a greater faith than that of her daughter-in-law, Ruth, whose name is not mentioned.
The Expositor's Bible: The Epistle to the Hebrews|Thomas Charles Edwards
I know not by what majority, for you did not read the record; I know not by whose votes; but that rule was rejected.
Thirty Years' View (Vol. II of 2)|Thomas Hart Benton

British Dictionary definitions for whose

whose

/ (huːz) /

determiner

of whom? belonging to whom? used in direct and indirect questionsI told him whose fault it was; whose car is this?
(as pronoun)whose is that?

of whom; belonging to whom; of which; belonging to which: used as a relative pronouna house whose windows are broken

Word Origin for whose

Old English hwæs, genitive of hwā who and hwæt what

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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