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

Ultimately, Kyle Shanahan’s team couldn’t overcome all their missing players — Fred Warner, Nick Bosa, Brandon Aiyuk, Williams, Pearsall — to earn home field advantage and perhaps more importantly, the lone bye in the Wild Card round of the playoffs next week. —Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 4 Jan. 2026

Will Trump offer Maduro refuge in another country—perhaps Turkey—in exchange for his asking his comrades in Caracas to stand down? —Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 3 Jan. 2026

Minnesota had dropped three of its last four games coming into Saturday, including perhaps the Timberwolves' most frustrating loss of the season — a 126-102 defeat on Wednesday in Atlanta. —CBS News, 3 Jan. 2026

It certainly can be deployed sincerely, yet it’s almost always accompanied by a good-natured, perhaps slightly exasperated, shake of the head. —Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 3 Jan. 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