perhaps

1 of 2

adverb

per·​haps pər-ˈhaps 

ˈpraps

: possibly but not certainly : maybe

perhaps

2 of 2

noun

: something open to doubt or conjecture

Synonyms of perhaps

Adverb

• maybe
• possibly
• probably

Examples of perhaps in a Sentence

Adverb

perhaps we will not have to take this exam, but I doubt it

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb

Give Rice a break Maybe the Yankees can’t sit Rice on Sunday against Dylan Cease, perhaps the best righty starter in the league not named Schilttler. — Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2026

Dozens of senior Iranian officials were assassinated in airstrikes when the conflict began at the end of February, but Araghchi does not appear to have been a target, perhaps because he is seen as a possible interlocutor in any settlement. — Tim Lister, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2026

Most notable, perhaps, was Allen continuing to build chemistry with DJ Moore, the veteran who was acquired in the offseason and is being asked to bring a big-play dimension to an offense that’s lacked it for much of the past two years. — ABC News, 15 Aug. 2026

There were some open-source reports that a missile struck a building that houses a clean room for avionics—perhaps a reference to the electronics production Zelenskyy referred to. — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 15 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adverb

per + hap

First Known Use

Adverb

circa 1520, in the meaning defined above

Noun

circa 1643, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for perhaps

• bitmaps
• bootstraps
• collapse
• elapse
• mishaps
• prolapse
• relapse
• satraps
• wiretaps
• apps
• caps
• chaps

Kids Definition

perhaps

adverb

per·​haps

pər-ˈ(h)aps, 

ˈpraps

: possibly but not certainly

Etymology

Adverb

from per (preposition) "by, according to" and haps, plural of hap "chance, chance occurrence" — related to happen, happy, mishap