however

conjunction

how·ev·er | \hau̇-ˈe-vər

Definition of however

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : in whatever manner or way that will help however I can

2 archaic : although

however

adverb

Definition of however (Entry 2 of 2)

1a : in whatever manner or way shall serve you, sir, truly, however else— William Shakespeare

b : to whatever degree or extent couldn't convince him, however hard she tried has done this for however many thousands of years— Emma Hawkridge

2 : in spite of that : on the other hand still seems possible, however, that conditions will improve would like to go; however, I think I'd better not

3 : how in the world however did you manage to do it

Synonyms Beginning a Sentence With However More Example Sentences Learn More about however

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Beginning a Sentence With However

However is one in a long list of words that students have been admonished to avoid placing at the beginning of a sentence (others include and, but, for, so, yet, and many more). Can you use however to start a sentence? Yes. Some usage guides will recommend against placing it there when the intended meaning is “nonetheless” but will allow it for other senses of however, but a considerable number of prominent (and not so prominent) writers utilize just this sense of however in the initial position. You should make your own judgment about such use and let your ear guide you regarding its appropriateness.

Examples of however in a Sentence

Conjunction

Do it however you like. I will help however I can.

Adverb

I'm all out of eggs; however, I can still make us a nice breakfast.

Recent Examples on the Web: Adverb

His kids seem to have a sense of humor about it all, however: National sibling day is pretty chill when your dad has been married 4 times. — Allie Jones, The Cut, "Is Selena Gomez Okay?," 10 July 2018 What has always raised eyebrows, however, is the Air Force’s contention that the F-35A would replace the A-10 Warthog in close air support duties. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "The Long Awaited A-10 vs.-F-35 Flyoff Is Off to a Sketchy Start," 11 July 2018 The dogs, however, focused on the toy being flung through the air. — Lindsey Salvatelli, Lake County News-Sun, "High-flying dogs make a splash at Libertyville Dog Days," 8 July 2018 The Department of Health and Human Services noted in a statement later on Friday, however, that the number could change. — Phil Mccausland /, NBC News, "Government says around 2,551 migrant children still need reunification with parents," 14 July 2018 This doesn’t quite track, however — Hemsworth and Cyrus still follow one another, and all of Hemsworth’s photos with Cyrus still remain. — refinery29.com, "Why Did Miley Cyrus Delete Her Instagram Posts? Fans Have A Few Theories," 14 July 2018 Most significantly, however, is the government ranking. — Natasha Bach, Fortune, "Under President Trump, the U.S.'s 'Soft Power' Is Waning," 13 July 2018 Twitter has gone to great lengths to appease the right, and any purge, however justified, would result in waves of negative coverage from Fox News and the Drudge Report. — Alex Shephard, The New Republic, "Is Twitter Good Now?," 13 July 2018 At the moment, however, only 16 of the Texas Legislature’s 181 members have STEM backgrounds, according to 314 Action. — David Yaffe-bellany, star-telegram, "As Trump backlash continues, STEM professionals in Texas run for office," 12 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'however.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.