Showing results for "whose"

• possessive of who.

whose

American  

[hooz] / huz /

pronoun

1. (the possessive case of who used as an adjective).

   Whose umbrella did I take? Whose is this one?

2. (the possessive case of which used as an adjective).

   a word whose meaning escapes me; an animal whose fur changes color.

3. the one or ones belonging to what person or persons.

   Whose painting won the third prize?

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whose British  

/ huːz /

determiner

1. 1. of whom? belonging to whom? used in direct and indirect questions

      I told him whose fault it was

      whose car is this?

   2. ( as pronoun )

      whose is that?

2. of whom; belonging to whom; of which; belonging to which: used as a relative pronoun

   a house whose windows are broken

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Usage

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.

Etymology

Origin of whose

First recorded before 900; Middle English whos, early Middle English hwās; replacing hwas, Old English hwæs, genitive of interrogative pronoun hwā who

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

whose

“You either had SpaceX or you didn’t,” said Greg Dowling of Fund Evaluation Group, an investment advisory firm whose clients include endowments.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

But Bettany, whose character Vision is an android attempting to piece together his wiped memories and fragile humanity, had some sage advice.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

The review covered hundreds of species on the IUCN's "red list" -- icons like staghorn and table corals whose mineral skeletons give reefs their dazzling three-dimensional complexity.

From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026

Does he also think of himself as an artist whose desires are inextricable from his artistic output?

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026

A boy whose cousin I danced with, maybe?

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

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