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

Astronauts bring them on journeys to keep an eye on whether or not the water filtration systems are working, much the way miners used to take canaries down to the coal mines to check for poisonous gas leaks. — Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2026

Civic Federation President Joe Ferguson agreed that whether or not Johnson fulfills his pledge to transparently outline the projection will prove critical. — Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026

Hochman said while deciding whether or not to seek the death penalty, the DA's office examined the aggravating and mitigating factors and spoke to the victims' family, prosecutors and law enforcement. — Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 15 Sep. 2026

The question isn’t so much whether or not Kudryavtsev will get his shot in the NHL. — Thomas Drance, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026

Rhymes for whether or not

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