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          how
           adverb
           
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          \ ˈhau̇ How to pronounce how (audio) \
           
          Definition of how
           (Entry 1 of 3)
           
          1a : in what manner or way                                                                How did you two meet each other? How did he die? How do you know that?
           
          b : for what reason : why How would I know if it's going to rain or not?
           
          c : with what meaning : to what effect                                                                How are we to interpret such behavior?
           
          d : by what name or title                                                                How art thou called?— William Shakespeare
           
          2 : to what degree or extent                                                                How much longer do we have to wait? I don't know how old she is.
           
          3 : in what state or condition                                                                How are you? How do you feel?
           
          4 : at what price                                                                how a score of ewes now— Shakespeare
           
          how about 
          : what do you say to or think of                                                                how about it, are you going?
           how come 
          : how does it happen that : why How come you can't go?
            
          how
           conjunction
           
          Definition of how (Entry 2 of 3)
           
          1a : the way or manner in which                                                                asked how they could help the story of how the company was founded remember how they fought also : the state or condition in which  reported how the patient was found by the paramedics    
           
          b : that told them how he had a situation— Charles Dickens
           
          2 : however, as a reader can shift his attention how he likes— William Empson
            
          how
           noun
           
          Definition of how (Entry 3 of 3)
           
          1 : a question about manner or method                                                                the eternal whys and hows of small children— Jeanne Massey
           
          2 : manner, method examining the hows and whys of exercise
            
                      Synonyms                     More Example Sentences                       Learn More about how
            
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          Examples of how in a Sentence
            
          Adverb How and where did you meet him? How shall I address the President? How will we pay for the trip?                                  “How did you get here?” “By bus.”                                      “How did she die?” “She had cancer.”     How do you know that? How did you find us? How could you have known? How did you happen to move here? Conjunction                                  We asked how we could help.                                      Let me tell you how we'll pay for the trip.                                      The book tells the story of how the company was founded.                                      She explained how she came to live here.                                      I don't know how the service is at the new restaurant.                                      I remember how they fought.                                      Be careful how you talk; you could get fired.                                      She told us how she had to work hard.                                      He knows how you are a valued employee.                                      It's amazing how they completed the bridge so quickly.     Noun                                  the environmental activist eagerly launched into an explanation of the hows and whys of developing renewable energy sources    
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          Recent Examples on the Web: Adverb Kentucky's rate of positive tests for COVID-19, a measure of how effectively a state is controlling the spread of the virus, remains relatively low, at 3.7%.         —                    Deborah Yetter, The Courier-Journal, "As more states move toward mandatory masks, Gov. Andy Beshear isn't ready for that yet," 3 July 2020         DeWine also will announce guidelines for how K-12 schools can reopen this fall.         —                    Jessie Balmert, The Enquirer, "Coronavirus in Ohio: Gov. Mike DeWine to unveil school guidelines, criteria for monitoring county outbreaks," 3 July 2020         The system is continuing to evaluate how to use other areas of the hospital for coronavirus patients, such as pediatric beds.         —                    Jen Fifield, The Arizona Republic, "Arizona hospitals aren't rationing care to COVID-19 patients yet, but staff, capacity a growing concern," 3 July 2020         Continuous research is needed to reach a conclusion on how safe and effective Ayurvedic procedures are.         —                    Melissa Badamo, USA TODAY, "Fact check: Benefits derived from putting essential oils in belly button are questionable," 3 July 2020         Gordon said IndyGo leaders look at how this year's numbers compare to last year's, which is not yet possible for the new Red Line.         —                    Ethan May, The Indianapolis Star, "Red Line ridership declines again despite an increase in overall IndyGo traffic," 3 July 2020         In a note to supporters, Biden campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon touted how more than two-thirds of their May donors had given to the former vice president for the first time, helping to add 2.6 million names to their email list.         —                    Naomi Lim, Washington Examiner, "Biden campaign taunts Brad Parscale after beating Trump and the RNC in June cash race," 2 July 2020         Durkan’s tone policing was typical of how CHAZ was discussed in liberal circles.         —                    Matthew Walther, TheWeek, "Requiem for CHAZ," 2 July 2020         Those studies would also allow researchers to measure how risk might differ by geography, race, and ethnicity.         —                    Juliet Isselbacher, STAT, "Does asthma increase Covid-19 risk? Emerging research suggests a complicated connection," 2 July 2020         
                                              These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'how.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.                                
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          First Known Use of how
           
          Adverb 
          before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a 
          Conjunction 
          before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a 
          Noun 
          1533, in the meaning defined at sense 1
            
          History and Etymology for how
           
          Adverb, Conjunction, and Noun 
                          Middle English, from Old English hū; akin to Old High German hwuo how, Old English hwā who  — more at who
           
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          Learn More about how
           
           
           
          Time Traveler for how
           Time Traveler 
          The first known use of how was                                 before the 12th century
           
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          Statistics for how
           
          Last Updated 
          5 Jul 2020 
           
          Cite this Entry 
          “How.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/how. Accessed 7 Jul. 2020.
           
           
           
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          More Definitions for how 
            
          how
           adverb
           
          How to pronounce how (audio)
           
          English Language Learners Definition of how
           (Entry 1 of 2)
           
          : in what manner or way : by what means
           
          : for what reason
           
          : to what degree, extent, or amount
           
          how
           conjunction
           
          English Language Learners Definition of how (Entry 2 of 2)
           
          : in what manner or way
           
          : in whatever way
           
          See the full definition for how in the English Language Learners Dictionary
           
            
          how
           adverb
           
          \ ˈhau̇ How to pronounce how (audio) \
           
          Kids Definition of how
           (Entry 1 of 2)
           
          1 : in what way : by what means                                                                How do you work this thing? How did they get here?
           
          2 : for what reason                                                                How can you treat me so badly?
           
          3 : to what degree, number, or amount                                                                How cold is it?
           
          4 : in what state or condition                                                                How are you?
           
          how about 
          : what do you say to or think of                                                                How about a soda?
           how come 
          : why entry 1
           how do you do 
          : hello
            
          how
           conjunction
           
          Kids Definition of how (Entry 2 of 2)
           
          : in what manner or condition                                                                We're studying how plants grow. I asked them how they were.
           
           
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          More from Merriam-Webster on how 
          Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for how 
          Spanish Central: Translation of how 
          Nglish: Translation of how for Spanish Speakers 
          Britannica English: Translation of how for Arabic Speakers
           
          Comments on how 
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