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I know exactly what my values are and what I love to do. That's worth additional years right there. I say no to a lot of stuff that would be easy money but deviates from my meaning of life.
Dan Buettner

Meaning of "what" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
section

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD WHAT

Old English hwæt; related to Old Frisian whet, Old High German hwaz (German was), Old Norse hvatr.
info
Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.
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PRONUNCIATION OF WHAT

what  [wɒt] play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF WHAT

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
What can act as an adverb, a pronoun, a determiner and an exclamation.
The adverb is an invariable part of the sentence that can change, explain or simplify a verb or another adverb.

The pronoun is a word that replaces other terms that designate people or things at any given moment.

The determinant is a modifier that provides context to the noun, often in terms of quantity and possession.

Exclamation is an expression or voice that reflects an emotion or exaltation.

WHAT DOES WHAT MEAN IN ENGLISH?

What

What or WHAT may refer to ▪ what, an interrogative pronoun in English: ▪ "What?", one of the Five Ws used in journalism ▪ Web Hypertext Application Technology, a group of people interested in evolving HTML and related technologies ▪ Winter Haven Area Transit, a transit system in Florida, U.S. In entertainment: ▪ WHAT, a radio station serving Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. ▪ What?, a film directed by Roman Polanski ▪ What Records, a UK record label ▪ What? Records, a U.S. record label ▪ What.CD, a private music tracker website for BitTorrent users ▪ "What?", a song by Rob Zombie ▪ "What" a song by Bassnectar from Vava Voom ▪ "What?", a song by Corrosion of Conformity from Eye for an Eye ▪ "What?", a song by The Move from Looking On ▪ "What", the name of the second baseman in Abbott and Costello's comedy routine "Who's on First?" ▪ "what.", a comedy special by Bo Burnham...

Definition of what in the English dictionary

The first definition of what in the dictionary is used with a noun in requesting further information about the identity or categorization of something. Other definition of what is the that. What is also in what respect? to what degree?.

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE WHAT

wharves
what a lark!
what about
what for
what have you
what if
what is more
what makes someone tick
what matter
what price something?
what the doctor ordered
what you will
what-d´ye-call-her
what-d´ye-call-him
what-d´ye-call-it
what-d´you-call-it
what-for
what-ho
what-if
what´s the odds?

WORDS THAT END LIKE WHAT

all that
and all that
and that
as all that
be all that
been-there done-that
chat
for all that
hat
I know what
in order that
in that
in the event that
like that
on condition that
on the understanding that
so that
that
this and that
with that

Synonyms and antonyms of what in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

Translation of «what» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF WHAT

Find out the translation of what to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of what from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «what» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

什么
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

qué
570 millions of speakers

English

what
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

क्या
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

أيُّ
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

который
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

que
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

কি
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

quel
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

apa
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

welcher
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

何の
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

무슨
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

opo
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

என்ன
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

काय
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

ne
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

quale
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

jaki
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

який
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

cât
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

τι
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

wat
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

vad
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

hva
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of what

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «WHAT»

The term «what» is very widely used and occupies the 223 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Very widely used
98
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «what» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of what
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «what».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «WHAT» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «what» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «what» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about what

EXAMPLES

10 QUOTES WITH «WHAT»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word what.
1
Quinton Aaron
I like to be someone else. I like to be someone other than myself. I grew up watching movies and being a fan of what I'd seen portrayed in the movies, and I always wanted to do that one day.
2
Patch Adams
What I really want is a world where no one alive can remember what the word 'war' means. That's my goal.
3
Aziz Ansari
Every single person, pretty much, is taught what they're supposed to do: go to school, get a job, find someone to love, get married, have kids, raise the kids, and then die. Nobody questions that. what if you want to do something different?
4
Coco Austin
After watching 'Peepshow,' people always say to me that it was more than what they expected. It is so much more than a musical. It has a lot of energy and is fast-paced. You are entertained the whole time watching it. One guy from Germany watched 'Peepshow' every single day for the whole week he was in Vegas.
5
Bill Ayers
Imperialism or globalization - I don't have to care what it's called to hate it.
6
Melody Beattie
Twelve-step promotes spirituality, not religion. It gives a practical, day-to-day spirituality that tells me what I can and cannot control. There is room to be imperfect and to be someone who struggles to find God.
7
Cory Booker
Everybody wants to find their soul mate, and I'm no different. That's definitely what I want in the future.
8
Dan Buettner
I know exactly what my values are and what I love to do. That's worth additional years right there. I say no to a lot of stuff that would be easy money but deviates from my meaning of life.
9
Albert Camus
But what is happiness except the simple harmony between a man and the life he leads?
10
Emile M. Cioran
What would be left of our tragedies if an insect were to present us his?

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «WHAT»

Discover the use of what in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to what and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
What the Best College Teachers Do
This book, the conclusion of a fifteen-year study of nearly one hundred college teachers in a wide variety of fields and universities, offers valuable answers for all educators.
Ken Bain, 2004
2
What is Mathematics?: An Elementary Approach to Ideas and ...
A discussion of fundamental mathematical principles from algebra to elementary calculus designed to promote constructive mathematical reasoning.
Richard Courant, Herbert Robbins, Ian Stewart, 1996
3
I Write what I Like: A Selection of His Writings
On 12th September 1977, Steve Biko was murdered in his prison cell. He was only 31, but his vision and charisma - captured in this collection of his work - had already transformed the agenda of South African politics.
Steve Biko, Aelred Stubbs, 1987
4
The Social Construction of What?
Ian Hacking looks at the issue of child abuse, and examines the ways in which advanced research on new weapons influences not the content but the form of science.
Ian Hacking, 1999
5
What White Looks Like: African-American Philosophers on the ...
Heinrich Schenker: A Research and Information Guide is an annotated bibliography concerning both the nature of primary sources related to the composer and the scope and significance of the secondary sources which deal with him, his ...
George Yancy, 2004
6
What is Enlightenment?: Eighteenth-century Answers and ...
This collection contains the first English translations of a group of 18th-century German essays that address the question, "what is Enlightenment?
James Schmidt, 1996
7
What Remains: A Memoir of Fate, Friendship, and Love
What Remains is a vivid and haunting memoir about a girl from a working-class town who becomes an award-winning television producer and marries a prince, Anthony Radziwill.
Carole Radziwill, 2005
8
What We Want Is Free: Generosity And Exchange In Recent Art
Examines the way recent artists have incorporated concepts of generosity into their work.
Ted Purves, 2005
9
What is Philosophy?
This work examines what it means to be a philosopher and attacks the sterility of modern philosophy. Part One explores the nature and scope of philosophy and its relation to social and economic development.
Gilles Deleuze, Félix Guattari, 1994
10
What is Gnosticism?
A study of gnosticism examines the various ways early Christians strove to define themselves in a pluralistic Roman society, while questioning the traditional ideas of heresy and orthodoxy that have previously influenced historians.
Karen L. King, 2005

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «WHAT»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term what is used in the context of the following news items.
1
"No" to what?
Greek voters have rejected austerity. Whether they meant to or not, they may find out they have also rejected the euro. Jul 5th 2015 | ATHENS | Europe. «The Economist, Jul 15»
2
What Charleston Knows
Charleston, S.C.. As a New Yorker who had planned months ago to be in Charleston last weekend, I had no idea what a world away the city would be. Our hotel ... «Wall Street Journal, Jul 15»
3
What did Donald Trump say about immigrants?
They send their cars over by the millions, and what do we do? When was the last time you saw a Chevrolet in Tokyo? It doesn't exist, folks. They beat us all the ... «Boston Globe, Jun 15»
4
What's Really Warming the World?
Skeptics of manmade climate change offer various natural causes to explain why the Earth has warmed 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit since 1880. But can these ... «Bloomberg, Jun 15»
5
If Greece Leaves Eurozone, Here's What Will Happen to the World …
NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Should the U.S. and the rest of the world really care that Greece is standing on the brink of defaulting on its debt and possibly ... «TheStreet.com, Jun 15»
6
What Is Whiteness?
THE terrorist attack in Charleston, S.C., an atrocity like so many other shameful episodes in American history, has overshadowed the drama of Rachel A. «New York Times, Jun 15»
7
What Makes a Woman?
Do women and men have different brains? Back when Lawrence H. Summers was president of Harvard and suggested that they did, the reaction was swift and ... «New York Times, Jun 15»
8
What to Be Afraid Of
Some time ago, a friend of mine was hit by a bus in New York, one of almost 5,000 pedestrians killed in traffic every year. I also lost a nephew to gun violence ... «New York Times, Jun 15»
9
What Poverty Does to the Young Brain
As it turns out, the conditions that attend poverty—what a National Scientific Council report summarized as “overcrowding, noise, substandard housing, ... «The New Yorker, Jun 15»
10
What Silicon Valley Can Learn From Seoul
Like most young people in the Bay Area, Mike Kim grew up believing that the future of technology was being forged in Silicon Valley. Raised in Piedmont, an ... «New York Times, Jun 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. What [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/what>. Apr 2024 ».
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