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

The Chargers get a jolt of energy whenever their quarterback takes off to run.

From Los Angeles Times

They and the physician plaintiffs seek to establish that Idaho’s law allows an abortion whenever a patient has a physical medical condition or complication that makes it unsafe to continue a pregnancy, has a condition exacerbated by pregnancy that can’t otherwise be easily treated, or is told about a fetal condition that is likely to be fatal after birth.

From Slate

Seeding for future tournaments was never far from his mind when it came to choosing friendly opposition and attempting to boost the team’s ranking whenever possible.

From BBC

Bellamy is as energetic on the touchline as he was as a player and, whenever he darts back to his seat in the dugout, he is usually doing so to consult Cremers and his screen.

From BBC

Thune, while patient, seemed agonized during the first Trump administration whenever he was asked about whatever stupid tweet Trump had put out at 7 in the morning.

From Slate