who

1 of 2

pronoun

ˈhü 

ü

1

: what or which person or persons

—used as an interrogative

who was elected?

find out who they are

—used by speakers on all educational levels and by many reputable writers, though disapproved by some grammarians, as the object of a verb or a following preposition

… who did I see but a Spanish lady …

—Padraic Colum

do not know who the message is from

—G. K. Chesterton

2

: the person or persons that : whoever

3

—used as a function word to introduce a relative clause

—used especially in reference to persons

my father, who was a lawyer

but also in reference to groups

… a generation who had known nothing but war …

—R. B. West

or to animals

… dogs who … fawn all over tramps …

—Nigel Balchin

or to inanimate objects especially with the implication that the reference is really to a person

… earlier sources who maintain a Davidic ancestry …

—F. M. Cross

—used by speakers on all educational levels and by many reputable writers, though disapproved by some grammarians, as the object of a verb or a following preposition

… a character who we are meant to pity …

—The Times Literary Supplement (London)

whom or who?: Usage Guide

Mastering the use of who and whom requires analysis and a commitment to grammatical distinctions that can sound stilted. Technically, who performs the action of a verb ("They are the ones who sent me the gift"), while whom receives the action of a verb ("I'd like to thank the gift-givers, whom I've known for years"). In terms of grammar, that makes who a subject, and whom an object. When following a preposition, whom, as an object, is the preferred choice. ("For whom was the gift intended?") ("His brother, with whom he is very close, works for the same company.") However, whom now has a decidedly formal feel and is not commonly used in ordinary speech and writing, where it can seem awkward and unnatural. In all but the most formal contexts, it is standard to use who instead, preferring "Who did you speak to?" to "To whom did you speak?" or "Whom did you speak to?"

That vs. Which: Usage Guide

That and which are both used to introduce a restrictive clause, i.e., a clause that can't be removed without changing the sentence's meaning substantially or making the sentence incomplete or difficult to understand. In "The cake that/which they served was pink," the restrictive clause is "that/which they served." To remove it renders the sentence incomplete: what cake was pink? Which is used to introduce a nonrestrictive clause, i.e., a clause that adds information to the sentence but isn't essential for understanding the sentence's basic idea. In "The cake, which was delicious, was pink" the clause "which was delicious" adds nonessential information; we still know that the cake being discussed was pink. That formerly did this job as well, especially in poetry, but the use is now rare.

WHO

2 of 2

abbreviation

World Health Organization

Phrases

as who

archaic : as one that : as if someone

as who should say

archaic : so to speak

who is who or who's who or who was who

: the identity of or the noteworthy facts about each of a number of persons

Word History

Etymology

Pronoun

Middle English, from Old English hwā; akin to Old High German hwer, interrogative pronoun, who, Latin quis, Greek tis, Latin qui, relative pronoun, who

First Known Use

Pronoun

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

Rhymes for who

• blew
• blue
• boo
• brew
• chew
• chou
• clue
• coo
• coup
• crew
• cue
• dew

Video

Who vs. Whom

Good news for those who feel stuffy saying 'whom.'

Kids Definition

who

pronoun

(ˈ)hü 

ü

1

: what or which person or persons

who was elected president

find out who did it

2

—used to introduce a clause that talks about a person or persons

my father, who was a lawyer

Medical Definition

WHO

abbreviation

World Health Organization