1
a
—used to ask for information about someone or something
What is your name?
What are those things on the table?
What's your family like?
What happened?
What [=how much] does it cost?
"What did she say?" "She said yes."
What do you think of my idea?
What do you want to do tonight?
"Dad!" "What (do you want)?" "You have a phone call."
What (on earth) are you doing?!
I finished dusting. Now what (should I do)?
What (should I do) next?
What else did he say?
You have money, fame, and a beautiful family. What more could you want?
b
—used to describe a question
Please ask them what they want for dinner.
They asked her what she knew about him.
I wonder what his motives were.
2
a
—used to ask someone to say something again because you have not clearly heard or understood it
What did you say? = (informal) What?
—often used to show surprise about the thing that someone has just said"And then I said that he could go to hell." "You said what?!"
She did what?!
What? I don't believe it. You must be joking!
b
informal
—used to express surprise, excitement, etc.
What, no breakfast?
"Have you heard? They won!" "What!? That's great!"
3
informal
—used to ask what someone's last name is
"Her name's Kathy." "Kathy what?"
4
a
: that which : the one or ones that
He has no income but what he gets from his writing. [=he has no income except for the income he gets from his writing]
"Do you have any other sizes?" "No, only what you see here."
b
: the kind that : the same as
The speech was very much what everyone expected.
My memory isn't what it used to be. [=it is not as good as it used to be]
c
: something that
The dog is chewing on what appears to be a sock.
It was the beginning of what turned out to be a long and successful career.
d
: the thing or things that
What you need is a vacation. [=you need a vacation]
What made me angry was how he treated you. [=it was the way he treated you that made me angry]
What matters most is your safety. = Your safety is what matters most.
Romance novels are what she enjoys reading.
Do what you're told.
Tell me what you're looking for.
She is looking for something but I don't know what.
He knows what he should do.
—often followed by to + verbStop telling me what to do.
I don't know what to think/say/believe.
She has (got) what it takes [=she has the skills and personality] to do the job.
I'll do what it takes to win.
You'll never guess what happened to me today. [=you'll be surprised by what happened to me today]
Note: Guess what is often used to tell someone that you have surprising news.
e
: anything or everything that : whatever
Say what you will, my opinion won't change. [=nothing you can say will change my opinion]
Take what you need. [=take anything that you need]
5
informal
—used to direct attention to something that you are about to say
I'll tell you what I'm going to do: I'm going to let you have it for 30 percent off.
I'll tell you what. If he thinks I'm cleaning up this mess, he's wrong.
Tell you what—let's eat out tonight.
"It's not worth the money." "You know what—you're right."
always used before a noun
1
—used to ask someone to indicate the identity or nature of someone or something
What fool told you that?
What book did you read?
What news have you heard from him?
In what way are these two stories the same?
We won the war, but at what price? [=did we lose or give up too much in order to win the war?]
2
—used to say that someone or something is remarkable for having good or bad qualities
What a good idea!
What mountains!
Remember what fun we had?
What a horrible movie!
What a beautiful child.
3
—used to refer to an amount that someone has, uses, etc.
She gave what money she had [=she gave all the money she had] to the homeless man.
Give what excuses you will—it makes no difference. [=no excuses that you may give will make any difference]
He soon gambled away what (little) money he had left.
We spent what (little) time remained chatting.
: in what way
What [=how] does it matter?
What does she care? [=why is it important to her?]
Cite this Entry
“What.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/what. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.
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