whether

[ hweth-er, weth- ]

conjunction

1. (used to introduce the first of two or more alternatives, and sometimes repeated before the second or later alternative, usually with the correlative or ):

   It matters little whether we go or stay. Whether we go or whether we stay, the result is the same.

2. (used to introduce a single alternative, the other being implied or understood, or some clause or element not involving alternatives):

   See whether or not she has come. I doubt whether we can do any better.

3. Archaic. (used to introduce a question presenting alternatives, usually with the correlative or. )

pronoun

, Archaic.

1. which or whichever (of two)?

whether

/ ˈwɛðə /

conjunction

1. subordinating used to introduce an indirect question or a clause after a verb expressing or implying doubt or choice in order to indicate two or more alternatives, the second or last of which is introduced by or or or whether

   he doesn't know whether she's in Britain or whether she's gone to France

2. subordinatingoften foll byor not used to introduce any indirect question

   he was not certain whether his friend was there or not

3. coordinating another word for either

   any man, whether liberal or conservative, would agree with me

4. archaic.
   coordinating used to introduce a direct question consisting of two alternatives, the second of which is introduced by or or or whether

   whether does he live at home or abroad

5. whether or no
   1. used as a conjunction as a variant of whether
   2. under any circumstances

      he will be here tomorrow, whether or no

6. whether…or or whether…or whether
   if on the one hand…or even if on the other hand

   you'll eat that, whether you like it or not

determiner

1. obsolete.
   which (of two): used in direct or indirect questions

Usage Note

See if.

Word History and Origins

Origin of whether¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English hwether, hwæther, equivalent to hwe- (base of hwā who ) + -ther comparative suffix; cognate with Old Norse hvatharr, Gothic hwathar

Word History and Origins

Origin of whether¹

Old English hwæther, hwether; related to Old Frisian hweder, hoder, Old High German hwedar, Old Norse hvatharr, hvarr, Gothic hwathar

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. whether or no, under whatever circumstances; regardless:

   He threatens to go whether or no.

More idioms and phrases containing whether

In addition to the idiom beginning with whether , also see not know whether .

Example Sentences

Building on work from similar species of plants used in African ethnomedicine, the research team investigated whether the medicinally active compounds in C. oligandrus could be latency-reversing agents, or LRAs, substances that reactivate latent HIV.

From Science Daily

By isolating compounds from dried powder from the plant's bark, Drs. Tietjen, Ntie-Kang, and their teams were able to run assays designed to test whether the compounds reversed HIV latency in vitro -- a hypothesis that was confirmed for four out of six isolated compounds.

From Science Daily

Coverage of President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of Matt Gaetz to be attorney general has concentrated largely on his sex scandals and the question of whether the House Ethics Committee will release its long-awaited and probably damaging report on Gaetz’s alleged sexual encounter with an underage girl.

From Slate

More importantly, the whole point of the Trump-Gaetz threat to use the DOJ against “enemies” is that investigations will be unleashed against those enemies regardless of whether they have committed any crime.

From Slate

If Gaetz’s opponents fall into the trap of exclusive focus on whether he did or didn’t have sex with a high school girl and lose sight of the systemic catastrophe Gaetz as AG would cause, they may well lose this fight.

From Slate