Definitions for When
ʰwɛn, wɛn; unstressed ʰwən, wənwhen

WiktionaryRate this definition:2.3 / 3 votes

1. whennoun

   The time.

   A good article will cover the who, the what, the when, the where, the why and the how.

2. whenpronoun

   What time; which time

   Since when do I need your permission?

3. whenconjunction

   At what time.

   They were told when to sleep.

4. whenconjunction

   At such time as.

   I'm happiest when I'm working.

5. whenconjunction

   As soon as.

   I'll do it when I get the time.

6. whenconjunction

   At a time in the past,

   It was raining when I came yesterday.

7. wheninterjection

   That's enough,

8. whenadverb

   At what time? At which time? Upon which occasion or circumstance? Used to introduce direct or indirect questions about time.

   When are they coming over? When will they arrive? When did they arrive?

9. whenadverb

   At an earlier time and under different, usually less favorable, circumstances.

   He's mister high and mighty now, but I remember him when.

10. whenadverb

    At which, on which, during which: often omitted or replaced with that.

    That was the day when the Twin Towers fell.

11. Etymology: From Middle English when(ne), whan(ne), from Old English hwenne, hwænne, hwonne ("when"), from Proto-Germanic *hwan ("at what time, when"), from Proto-Indo-European *kʷis ("interrogative base"). Cognate with Dutch wanneer ("when") and wen ("when, if"), Low German wannehr ("when"), wann ("when") and wenn ("if, when"), German wann ("when") and wenn ("when, if"), Gothic

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Whenadverb

   Etymology: whan, Gothick; hwænne , Sax. wanneer, Dutch.

   1. At the time that.

   Divers curious men judged that one Theodosius should succeed, when indeed Theodosius did. William Camden.

   One who died several ages ago, raises a secret fondness and benevolence for him in our minds, when we read his story. Add.

   2. At what time?

   When was it she last walk’d? ——
   —— Since his majesty went into the field. William Shakespeare, Macbeth.

   If there’s a pow’r above us,
   And that there is all nature cries aloud,
   Through all her works; he must delight in virtue,
   And that which he delights in must be happy.
   But when? or where? Addison.

   3. Which time.

   I was adopted heir by his consent;
   Since when, his oath is broke. William Shakespeare, Henry VI.

   4. At which time.

   By this the bloody troops were at the door,
   When as a sudden and a strange dismay,
   Enforc’d them strain who should go in before. Daniel.

   5. After the time that.

   When I have once handed a report to another, how know I how he may improve it? Government of the Tongue.

   6. At what time.

   Kings may
   Take their advantage when and how they list. Daniel.

   7. At what particular time.

   His seed, when is not set, shall bruise my head. John Milton.

   7.
   8. When as. At the time when; what time.

   This when as Guyon saw, he ’gan enquire
   What meant that preace about that lady’s throne. Fa. Queen.

   When as sacred light began to dawn
   In Eden on the humid flow’rs, that breath’d
   Their morning incense, came the human pair. John Milton.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:2.5 / 2 votes

1. Whenadverb

   at what time; -- used interrogatively

2. Whenadverb

   at what time; at, during, or after the time that; at or just after, the moment that; -- used relatively

3. Whenadverb

   while; whereas; although; -- used in the manner of a conjunction to introduce a dependent adverbial sentence or clause, having a causal, conditional, or adversative relation to the principal proposition; as, he chose to turn highwayman when he might have continued an honest man; he removed the tree when it was the best in the grounds

4. Whenadverb

   which time; then; -- used elliptically as a noun

5. Etymology: [OE. when, whan, whenne, whanne, AS. hwnne, hwanne, hwonne; akin to OS. hwan, OD. wan, OHG. wanne, G. wann when, wenn if, when, Goth. hwan when, and to E. who. . See Who.]

FreebaseRate this definition:3.0 / 1 vote

1. When

   "When" is a song by Canadian singer Shania Twain. It was the second UK release from her 1997 album Come on Over. The song was written by Mutt Lange and Shania Twain. The song was originally released in the summer of 1998. It was the only one of the twelve singles from Come on Over not released to the United States. It was released to Canada however, as a pop single in February 2000. The song was included in the Come on Over Tour and in a medley for the Up! Tour. "When" is also the theme song for the Japanese drama Cheap Love.

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:3.4 / 5 votes

1. When

   hwen, adv. and conj. at what time? at which time: at or after the time that: while.—interj. (Shak.) an exclamation of impatience, like what!—conj. When′as (Shak.), when: whereas.—adv. and conj. Whence (also From whence), from what place: from which things: wherefore.—adv. Whenceforth′ (Spens.), whence.—conjs. Whencesoev′er, from what place, cause, or source soever; Whenev′er, Whene'er′, at every time when; Whensoev′er, at what time soever: whenever. [A.S. hwænne, hwonne (Ger. wann, wenn); orig. accus. of interrog. pron. hwá, who.]

Editors ContributionRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. when

   At a specific known time.

   When the dance hall opened at the regular time of 22:00hrs they all had an amazing dance.

   
   

   Submitted by MaryC on March 24, 2020  

Suggested ResourcesRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. WHEN

   What does WHEN stand for? -- Explore the various meanings for the WHEN acronym on the Abbreviations.com website.

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'When' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #63

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'When' in Written Corpus Frequency: #77

3. Adverbs Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'When' in Adverbs Frequency: #34

Anagrams for When »

1. hewn

How to pronounce When?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say When in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of When in Chaldean Numerology is: 3

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of When in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5

Popularity rank by frequency of use