Idioms for where
where it's at, Slang.
where the most exciting, prestigious, or profitable activity or circumstance is to be found.
Origin of where
before 900; Middle English
quher, wher, Old English
hwǣr; cognate with Dutch
waar, Old High German
hwār; akin to Old Norse
hvar, Gothic
hwar
usage note for where
Where …
at (
Where was he at? ) and
where …
to (
Where is this leading to? ) are often criticized as redundant because neither
at nor
to adds anything to the meaning of
where, and sentences like the preceding ones are perfectly clear and standard without the final
at or
to. This criticism does not apply to
where …
from, which is fully standard:
Where does the money come from? The constructions
where …
at and
where …
to occur in the speech of educated people but are rare in formal speech and edited writing.
Words nearby where
Definition for where (2 of 2)
where's
[ hwairz, wairz ]
/ ʰwɛərz, wɛərz /
contraction of where is: Where's my belt?
contraction of where has: Where's he been all night?
contraction of where does: Where's he study law?
usage note for where's
See
contraction.
British Dictionary definitions for where
where
/ (wɛə) /
adverb
- in, at, or to what place, point, or position?where are you going?
- (used in indirect questions)I don't know where they are
in, at, or to which (place)
the hotel where we spent our honeymoon
(subordinating)
in the place at which
where we live it's always raining
noun
(usually plural)
a question as to the position, direction, or destination of something
Word Origin for where
Old English
hwǣr, hwār (
a); related to Old Frisian
hwēr, Old Saxon, Old High German
hwār, Old Norse, Gothic
hvar
usage for where
It was formerly considered incorrect to use
where as a substitute for
in which after a noun which did not refer to a place or position, but this use has now become acceptable:
we now have a situation where/in which no further action is needed
Idioms and Phrases with where
where