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Synonyms

maybe

American  
[mey-bee] / ˈmeɪ bi /

adverb

  1. perhaps; possibly.

    Maybe I'll go too.

noun

  1. a possibility or uncertainty.

maybe British  
/ ˈmeɪˌbiː /

adverb

    1. perhaps

    2. ( as sentence modifier )

      maybe I'll come 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. possibly; neither yes nor no

"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 maybe

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English may be, short for it may be

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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.