whose

[ hooz ]

pronoun

1. (the possessive case of who used as an adjective):

   Whose umbrella did I take? Whose is this one?

2. (the possessive case of which used as an adjective):

   a word whose meaning escapes me; an animal whose fur changes color.

3. the one or ones belonging to what person or persons:

   Whose painting won the third prize?

whose

/ huːz /

determiner

1. 1. of whom? belonging to whom? used in direct and indirect questions

      I told him whose fault it was

      whose car is this?

   2. ( as pronoun )

      whose is that?

2. of whom; belonging to whom; of which; belonging to which: used as a relative pronoun

   a house whose windows are broken

Usage Note

Sometimes the phrase of which is used as the possessive of which: Chicago is a city of which the attractions are many or Chicago is a city the attractions of which are many. The use of this phrase can often seem awkward or pretentious, whereas whose sounds more idiomatic: Chicago is a city whose attractions are many.

Word History and Origins

Origin of whose¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English whos, early Middle English hwās; replacing hwas, Old English hwæs, genitive of interrogative pronoun hwā who

Word History and Origins

Origin of whose¹

Old English hwæs, genitive of hwā who and hwæt what

Example Sentences

Bahder, whose expertise traditionally involves detecting lethal bronzing in palm trees, explained that the fundamental process of molecular testing is similar across different organisms, with the main difference being the DNA sequence.

From Science Daily

By Jaleel White Simon & Schuster, 336 pages, $29 If you buy books linked on our site, The Times may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookstores.

From Los Angeles Times

Benitez is introduced as the Mexican-born archbishop of Kabul whose ministry took him to some of the most dangerous war zones on the planet.

From Salon

Russian military expert Ilya Kramnik told the newspaper Izvestiya it is likely that the new missile, whose development has been classified until now, is at the upper end of medium-range missiles.

From BBC

Ballon D’Or winner Rodri, one of those whose absence is most keenly felt, will be at the Etihad Stadium tomorrow, although his involvement will be limited to saying a few hellos as he continues his recovery from knee surgery.

From BBC