whenever

[ wen-ev-er, hwen-, wuhn-, hwuhn- ]

conjunction

1. at whatever time; at any time when:

   Come whenever you like.

2. when? (used emphatically):

   Whenever did he say that?

whenever

/ wɛnˈɛvə /

conjunction

1. subordinating at every or any time that; when

   I laugh whenever I see that

adverb

1. no matter when

   it'll be here, whenever you decide to come for it

2. informal.
   at an unknown or unspecified time

   I'll take it if it comes today, tomorrow, or whenever

3. an intensive form of when, used in questions

   whenever did he escape?

Word History and Origins

Origin of whenever¹

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; when, ever

Example Sentences

But one vendor told me, “If they pay their $2 to get in, they can buy whenever they want.”

From Los Angeles Times

Trump's instinct whenever a man is accused of sexual abuse is to rush to his defense.

From Salon

“It’s always big whenever you hold the offense to three instead of seven because it just gives us momentum,” said cornerback Kristian Fulton, who had two tackles and three pass breakups in a return from a two-game absence.

From Los Angeles Times

A former governor of Maryland, O’Malley visited field offices whenever he could and recalls the wide variety of problems his agency exists to alleviate.

From Salon

“Whenever I would go to a field office, instead of coming in the locked back door, I would always go into the reception area and I'd introduce myself, point to the official photos on the wall and tell people I’m the other guy in the blue tie,” O’Malley recalled.

From Salon