whether or not

1 of 2

phrase (1)

1

: without being stopped or affected by something specified

We're going whether or not you decide to come along.

2

a

: if it is or was true that

uncertain whether or not all the options have been explored

b

: if it is or was better

wondered whether or not to include those details

3

archaic : in any case

"They've only been married a very few weeks, whether or no."

—Thomas Hardy

whether or not

2 of 2

phrase (2)

variant of whether or no

: in any case

they've only been married a very few weeks, whether or no

—Thomas Hardy

Examples of whether or not in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Phrase

Instead of launching into his traditional opening monologue, Letterman sat behind his desk and spoke candidly about the attacks, questioning whether or not a comedy show like his should move forward and if so, how? — Krystie Lee Yandoli, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2026

M’Benga drags him into a private room to discuss the situation, and whether or not Reeger is driven by revenge, not reason. — Keith Phipps, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2026

But whether or not that confession should legally be used to prosecute him has been widely debated. — Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 10 Sep. 2026

Top prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket offer yes or no contracts that users can buy to predict whether or not something will happen. — Garrett Downs, CNBC, 9 Sep. 2026

Rhymes for whether or not

• immunoblot
• aeronaut
• aforethought
• afterthought
• apricot
• argonaut
• astronaut
• camelot
• coffeepot
• concordat
• cosmonaut
• entrepot