whither

1 of 2

adverb

whith·​er ˈ(h)wi-t͟hər How to pronounce whither (audio)
1
: to what place
whither will they go
2
: to what situation, position, degree, or end
whither will this abuse drive him

whither

2 of 2

conjunction

1
a
: to what place
knew whither to goDaniel Defoe
b
: to what situation, position, degree, or end
2
a
: to the place at, in, or to which
b
: to which place
3
: to whatever place

Examples of whither in a Sentence

Adverb He grew up in New York City whither his family had immigrated in the early 1920s. whither are you going, my lady?
Recent Examples on the Web
Adverb
And whither Elizabeth McCracken’s bizarro American epic Bowlaway? David Canfield, EW.com, 25 Nov. 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'whither.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adverb

Middle English, from Old English hwider; akin to Latin quis who and to Old English hider hither — more at who, hither

First Known Use

Adverb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Conjunction

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of whither was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near whither

Cite this Entry

“Whither.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whither. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

whither

adverb
whith·​er
ˈhwit͟h-ər,
ˈwit͟h-
: to what place or situation
whither will they go

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