1
: anything or everything that
Say whatever you want, my opinion won't change. [=nothing you can say will change my opinion]
Take whatever you need.
2
: no matter what : regardless of what
Whatever he says, don't believe him. [=do not believe him at all]
"What's that smell?" "I don't know, but whatever it is, it's awful!"
Whatever you do, don't press that button!
3
—used in questions that express surprise or confusion
Whatever made you do something as foolish as that?
Whatever did she mean (by that)?
4
informal
: whatnot
I enjoy all kinds of sports—skiing, biking, (or) whatever.
1
always used before a noun
a
: all the
Take whatever supplies you need. [=take any supplies that you need]
b
: any
She will buy the painting at whatever price.
: any…that
We are willing to take whatever action is needed. [=to take any action that is needed]
c
—used to refer to something that is not known
For whatever reason, he refused to speak to us. [=he refused to speak to us for some reason that we don't know]
2
not used before a noun
: of any kind or amount at all : whatsoever
There's no food whatever.
There's no evidence whatever to support your theory.
informal
—used to show that something said or done is not important
"Jen forgot to print out extra copies." "You mean Jean." "Whatever—you know who I mean."
We could go see a movie, watch TV—whatever. [=it makes no difference to me what we do]
Cite this Entry
“Whatever.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/whatever. Accessed 28 Jul. 2026.
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