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\ ˈ(h)wen 
, (h)wən \
, (h)wən \Definition of when
(Entry 1 of 4)
1 : at what time when will you return
2a : at or during which time
b : and then
3 : at a former and usually less prosperous time brag fondly of having known him when— Vance Packard
when
conjunction\ ˈ(h)wen , (h)wən \
, (h)wən \Definition of when (Entry 2 of 4)
1a : at or during the time that : while went fishing when he was a boy
b : just at the moment that stop writing when the bell rings
c : at any or every time that when he listens to music, he falls asleep
2 : in the event that : if a contestant is disqualified when he disobeys the rules
3a : considering that why use water at all when you can drown in it— Stuart Chase
b : in spite of the fact that : although quit politics when I might have had a great career in it
4 : the time or occasion at or in which tomorrow is when we must decide humor is when you laugh— Earl Rovit
when
pronoun\ ˈ(h)wen \
\Definition of when (Entry 3 of 4)
: what or which time life-long homes for those … who have lived here since when— Kim Waller
when
noun\ ˈ(h)wen \
\Definition of when (Entry 4 of 4)
: the time in which something is done or comes about troubled his head very little about the hows and whens of life— Laurence Sterne
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Synonyms for when
Synonyms: Conjunction
- as,
- so long as,
- while,
- whilst
- [chiefly British]
Examples of when in a Sentence
Adverb When did the American Civil War begin? The detective asked me when I last saw her. When is the next performance? It was a time when people didn't have to lock their doors. the happy days when we were together We're still waiting for the test results, when we'll decide our next move. Conjunction When he finally showed up, he was drunk. When I was in school, we didn't have computers. You can go when the bell rings. Call me when you get home. Things were better when he got a job. When he watches television, he falls asleep. She quit politics when she might have had a great career in it. Pronoun He retired in 1998, since when he has been devoting his time to gardening. You need the report by when?
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Recent Examples on the Web: Adverb Remember when the riskiest thing about celebrating the Fourth of July was messing around with fireworks? — Carol Deptolla, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Socializing on the Fourth of July? What event pros know to make your party safer," 30 June 2020 Martin wasn’t surprised when he was told there are just 79 Black head coaches in Power Five conference sports. — Cameron Teague Robinson, The Courier-Journal, "As conversations about racial inequality grow, Black head coaches continue to be overlooked," 30 June 2020 Pediatric vaccines dropped more than 45% when comparing April 2019 to April 2020. — Allison A. Ward, The Enquirer, "Pediatricians worry as vaccine rates plummet nationwide," 30 June 2020 Midtown Phoenix resident Scott Wilken spotted major inconsistencies between the number of blocks between each major named street when a driver is traveling north and south. — Taylor Seely, The Arizona Republic, "Valley 101 explains what is and isn't logical about Phoenix's grid system," 30 June 2020 People are encouraged to tune into Tomball’s own 95.3 FM KTTF to hear greatest hits through the decades leading up to showtime, when the station will play patriotic music to accompany the show. — Brandon Moeller, Houston Chronicle, "July 1-12: Northwest Houston area events to include food drive, fireworks," 29 June 2020 Ariel learned about the center’s mission to help grieving children when her troop and mother prepared dinners for families. — Vincent T. Davis, ExpressNews.com, "San Antonio Girl Scout grows garden, future with help of strong mentors," 29 June 2020 Breed recalled one example when community policing made a critical difference. — Dominic Fracassa, SFChronicle.com, "London Breed: Black mayor. Raised in poverty, surrounded by violence. How will she handle police reform?," 29 June 2020 Riverside County intensive care unit beds nearly hit capacity Sunday, when patients occupied 99% of the normal number of beds. — Kristi Sturgill, Los Angeles Times, "Riverside County hospitals hit 99% capacity for ICUs. That’s not their biggest problem," 29 June 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun These squishable-when-they're-not-spitting camelids hold antibodies that could hold the key to treating COVID-19, scientists suggested in a study published Tuesday in the journal Cell. — TheWeek, "Llamas may hold the key to an effective coronavirus treatment," 6 May 2020 Saturday’s 38-31 win at Nebraska put to bed a lot of since-whens and last-times in Bloomington. — Zach Osterman, Indianapolis Star, "Now that IU football is bowl eligible, where will the Hoosiers land?," 28 Oct. 2019 When Calvo relinquished the captain’s armband, Alonso put it on and has been credited with a lead-by-example, speak-when-necessary leadership style that garners attention and respect. — Andy Greder, Twin Cities, "Loons added many new players, but Francisco Calvo’s departure was X factor," 17 Oct. 2019 The springy, lightweight nylon frames comfortably grip the head with sticky-when-wet pads at the nose and earpieces. — Outside Online, "The Best Sunglasses of 2018," 15 May 2018 Will's penned destruction of Trump -- as only the always-use-the-$1,000-word-when-the-$1-word-would-do wordsmith can -- will draw most of the attention. — Chris Cillizza, CNN, "George Will just exposed Mike Pence's Faustian bargain," 10 May 2018 Daniel could have said no when his flinty-when-not-curmudgeonly father, Jay, asked to audit the classics class Daniel was teaching at Bard College. — Peter Lewis, The Christian Science Monitor, "'An Odyssey' is a father-son journey with Homer as guide," 20 Sep. 2017 What the possibilities of technology offer — beyond the gig-when-you-need-it networks — are a chance to collectively rethink generations of regulations. — Scott Canon, kansascity, "Digital Life: Tech in a nanny state or Ayn Rand wonderland," 29 May 2017 The party guests are playing a freeze-when-the-music-stops game, but Joe is off in his own world, not paying attention. — Neil Genzlinger, New York Times, "‘The A Word’ Places Autism Front and Center MARCH 30, 2016," 12 July 2016
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'when.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for when
when
adverbEnglish Language Learners Definition of when
(Entry 1 of 3)
: at what time
: at, in, or during which
: at or during which time
when
conjunctionEnglish Language Learners Definition of when (Entry 2 of 3)
: at or during the time that
: just after the time that
: at any or every time that
when
pronounEnglish Language Learners Definition of when (Entry 3 of 3)
: what or which time
See the full definition for when in the English Language Learners Dictionary
when
adverb\ ˈhwen , ˈwen, hwən, wən \
, ˈwen, hwən, wən \Kids Definition of when
(Entry 1 of 3)
1 : at what time When did you leave?
2 : the time at which I was not sure of when they'd come.
3 : at, in, or during which It was hard to remember the time when they hadn't played that game …— Eleanor Estes, The Hundred Dresses
when
conjunctionKids Definition of when (Entry 2 of 3)
1 : at, during, or just after the time that She wants to leave when I do.
2 : in the event that : if When you have a question, raise your hand.
3 : although sense 1 Why do you tease, when you know it's wrong?
4 : the time at which Tomorrow is when we leave.
when
pronounKids Definition of when (Entry 3 of 3)
: what or which time Since when have you been an expert?
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The first known use of when was before the 12th century
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