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?

---

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

---

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

Example Sentences

Europe is also likely to rely on U.S. gas to replace lost shipments from Qatar, whose Ras Laffan LNG hub was damaged in the war, according to Eurasia’s Gloystein.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 25, 2026

Jones, whose mother was English and who headed east to famous rugby nursery Hartpury College aged 16, is an exceptional case however.

From BBC • Apr. 25, 2026

Court filings lay out how Altman tried to convince Musk to back OpenAI in 2015, acting as a co-founder for a non-profit lab whose technology "would belong to the world."

From Barron's • Apr. 25, 2026

Warsh, 56, a former Fed governor and successful investor, is President Donald Trump’s nominee to become the 17th chair of the Fed, replacing current Chair Jerome Powell, whose term ends on May 15.

From Barron's • Apr. 24, 2026

Built-in bookshelves ran along this false wall, old, sagging shelves whose blistered wood bore the same water stains as the wall behind them.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom