when

[ hwen, wen; unstressed hwuh n, wuh n ]

/ ʰwɛn, wɛn; unstressed ʰwən, wən /

adverb

at what time or period? how long ago? how soon?: When are they to arrive? When did the Roman Empire exist?

under what circumstances? upon what occasion?: When is a letter of condolence in order? When did you ever see such a crowd?

conjunction

at what time: to know when to be silent.

at the time or in the event that: when we were young; when the noise stops.

at any time; whenever: He is impatient when he is kept waiting.

upon or after which; and then: We had just fallen asleep when the bell rang.

while on the contrary; considering that; whereas: Why are you here when you should be in school?

pronoun

what time: Till when is the store open?

which time: They left on Monday, since when we have heard nothing.

noun

the time of anything: the when and the where of an act.

Origin of when

before 1000; Middle English when(ne), Old English hwenne; cognate with German wann when, wenn if, when (compare Gothic hwan when, how); akin to who, what

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH when

when whence wen when

Words nearby when

whelk, whelked, whelm, whelp, whelping ice, when, when all's said and done, when in rome do as the romans do, when in rome, do as the romans do, when it comes to, when it rains, it pours

Definition for when (2 of 2)

when's

[ hwenz, wenz ]

/ ʰwɛnz, wɛnz /

contraction of when is: When's the show over?

contraction of when does: When's the next train leave?

contraction of when has: When's he ever been an authority?

usage note for when's

See contraction.

British Dictionary definitions for when

when

/ (wɛn) /

adverb

at what time? over what period?when is he due?
(used in indirect questions)ask him when he's due

say when to state when an action is to be stopped or begun, as when someone is pouring a drink

(subordinating) at a time at which; at the time at which; just as; after I found it easily when I started to look seriously

although he drives when he might walk

considering the fact that how did you pass the exam when you'd not worked for it?

at which (time); over which (period) an age when men were men

noun

(usually plural) a question as to the time of some occurrence

Word Origin for when

Old English hwanne, hwænne; related to Old High German hwanne, hwenne, Latin cum

usage for when

When should not be used loosely as a substitute for in which after a noun which does not refer to a period of time: paralysis is a condition in which (not when) parts of the body cannot be moved

Idioms and Phrases with when

when

In addition to the idioms beginning with when

when all's said and done
when in Rome do as the Romans do
when it comes to
when least expected
when one's back is turned
when one's ship comes in
when pigs fly
when the cat's away, the mice will play
when the chips are down
when the dust has settled
when the going gets tough, the tough get going
when the shit hits the fan

also see:

cross a bridge when one comes to it
push comes to shove, when

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

when

adverb

conjunction

pronoun

noun

Origin of when

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH when

Words nearby when

Definition for when (2 of 2)

usage note for when's

British Dictionary definitions for when

adverb

noun

Word Origin for when

usage for when

Idioms and Phrases with when

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

when

adverb

conjunction

pronoun

noun

Origin of when

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH when

Words nearby when

Definition for when (2 of 2)

usage note for when's

Content related to when

Words related to when

British Dictionary definitions for when

adverb

noun

Word Origin for when

usage for when

Idioms and Phrases with when