: from what place, source, or cause
Then whence comes this paradox …—
Changing Times
Changing Times1
: from what place, source, or cause
… inquired whence the water came …—Maria Edgeworth
Maria Edgeworth2
a
: from or out of which place, source, or cause
… the lawless society whence the ballads sprang …—DeLancey Ferguson
DeLancey Ferguson
b
: by reason of which fact
… nothing broke—whence I infer that my bones are not yet chalky …—Oliver Wendell Holmes †1935
Oliver Wendell Holmes †1935
Phrases
from whence
: from what place, source, or cause
No one could tell me from whence the gold had come …—Graham Greene
Graham GreeneExamples of whence in a Sentence
Adverb
They returned to the land whence they came.
Recent Examples on the Web
Tony Sachs, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
In those rhapsodic locales to our north whence so many of us have hailed, summertime is the giddy season that redeems the restive hibernation of winter.
—Greg Carannante, Sun Sentinel, 14 June 2024
In the season 4 finale of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, the titular super-screwups publicly defeated the demon Neron, thus erasing the dystopian future from whence cynical hacktivist Zari (Tala Ashe) initially came.
—Chancellor Agard, EW.com, 22 Jan. 2020
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Adverb
Sometimes, merely nodding in the direction of France (from whence dry vermouth comes) while pouring gin, straight from the freezer, into a glass, also straight from the freezer, can suffice.
—Tony Sachs, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
In those rhapsodic locales to our north whence so many of us have hailed, summertime is the giddy season that redeems the restive hibernation of winter.
—Greg Carannante, Sun Sentinel, 14 June 2024
In the season 4 finale of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, the titular super-screwups publicly defeated the demon Neron, thus erasing the dystopian future from whence cynical hacktivist Zari (Tala Ashe) initially came.
—Chancellor Agard, EW.com, 22 Jan. 2020
Cite this Entry
“Whence.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whence. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
whence
1 of 2 adverb
(ˈ)hwen(t)s 
(ˈ)wen(t)s
: from what place, source, or cause
whence come all these doubts
whence
2 of 2 conjunction
: from or out of which place, source, or cause
the land whence they came
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