Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

perhaps

American  
[per-haps] / pərˈhæps /

adverb

  1. maybe; possibly.

    Perhaps the package will arrive today.
perhaps British  
/ pəˈhæps, præps /

adverb

    1. possibly; maybe

    2. ( as sentence modifier )

      he'll arrive tomorrow, perhaps

      perhaps you'll see him tomorrow
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

  1. it may happen, be so, etc; maybe

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of perhaps

First recorded in 1520–30; earlier perhappes, perhapis “by haps”; equivalent to per + hap 1 + -s 1

Compare meaning

How does perhaps compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.