whoever

whoever
who|ev|er
S2 [hu:ˈevə US -ˈevər] pron
1.) used to say that it does not matter who does something, is in a particular place etc
▪ I'll take whoever wants to go.
▪ When you're done with the book, just give it to Kristin or Shelley or whoever.
2.) used to talk about a specific person or people, although you do not know who they are
▪ Whoever is responsible for this will be punished.
3.) whoever he/she is also whoever he/she may be
used to say that you do not know who someone is
▪ You've got a message from Tony Gower, whoever he is.
4.) used to mean 'who' at the beginning of a question to show surprise or anger
▪ Whoever would do a thing like that to an old woman?

Dictionary of contemporary English. 2013.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • whoever — whoever, who ever, whomever 1. The same distinction applies here as to whatever and what ever, whoever being written as one word when it is an indefinite relative pronoun equivalent to ‘whatever person’ used in statements or commands (Whoever… …   Modern English usage

  • Whoever — Who*ev er, pron. Whatever person; any person who; be or she who; any one who; as, he shall be punished, whoever he may be. Whoever envies or repines. Milton. Whoever the king favors. Shak. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • whoever — [ho͞o ev′ər] pron. 1. any person that; whatever person [whoever wins gets a prize] 2. no matter what person [whoever said it, it s not so] 3. what person? who?: an emphatic interrogative [whoever told you that?] …   English World dictionary

  • whoever — noun any individual, any person, anybody, anyone, no matter who, whomever, whomsoever, whosoever Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • whoever — late O.E. hwa efre …   Etymology dictionary

  • whoever — ► PRONOUN 1) the person or people who; any person who. 2) regardless of who. 3) used for emphasis instead of ‘who’ in questions …   English terms dictionary

  • whoever — who|ev|er [ hu evər ] pronoun ** Whoever can be used in the following ways: as a relative pronoun (starting a relative clause that is the subject, object, or complement of another clause): You can invite whoever you want. Whoever comes will be… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • whoever */*/ — UK [huːˈevə(r)] / US [huˈevər] pronoun Summary: Whoever can be used in the following ways: as a relative pronoun (starting a relative clause that is the subject, object, or complement of another clause): You can invite whoever you want. ♦ Whoever …   English dictionary

  • whoever — [[t]huːe̱və(r)[/t]] 1) CONJ SUBORD You use whoever to refer to someone when their identity is not yet known. Whoever did this will sooner or later be caught and will be punished... Whoever wins the election is going to have a tough job getting… …   English dictionary

  • whoever — /hooh ev euhr/, pron.; possessive whosever; objective whomever. 1. whatever person; anyone that: Whoever did it should be proud. Ask whoever is there. Tell it to whomever you like. 2. no matter who: I won t do it, whoever asks. 3. who? what… …   Universalium

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