however

however

by whatever means; to whatever degree; nevertheless: It had started to rain; however, the ball game continued.

Not to be confused with:

how ever – when “ever” is used for emphasis: How ever did you do that?

Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree

how·ev·er

 (hou-ĕv′ər)

adv.

1. In spite of that; nevertheless; yet: The book is expensive; however, it's worth it.

2. On the other hand; by contrast: The first part was easy; the second, however, took hours.

3. To whatever degree or extent: "The prospect of success, however remote, was tantalizing" (Stephen Baker).

4. In what way. Used as an intensive of how: However did you get here so soon?

conj.

1. In whatever manner or way that: Dress however you like.

2. Archaic Notwithstanding that; although: "Howe'er thou art a fiend, / a woman's shape doth shield thee" (Shakespeare).

Usage Note: It is sometimes claimed that one should not use however to begin a sentence, but few writers consistently follow this rule. In our 2015 survey, only 10 percent of the Usage Panel reported that they themselves always follow the rule, 30 percent said that they usually or sometimes follow it, and 60 percent said that they rarely or never do so. And consistent with their self-reports, two thirds of the Panel judged a sentence beginning with however to be completely acceptable, and another quarter of them judged it at least somewhat acceptable—in other words, fewer than ten percent of them objected to it. · When however is used to join clauses within a sentence, it acts as a conjunctive adverb like nevertheless, not as a coordinating conjunction like but or yet. The conventions of punctuation thus require that it be preceded by a semicolon, as in Main Street will be closed to traffic for the parade; however, the stores along it will remain open. Using a comma instead of a semicolon is likely to be perceived as a mistake. In our 2015 survey, 86 percent of the Usage Panel gave an unacceptable rating to the sentence Main Street will be closed to traffic for the parade, however, the stores along it will remain open. See Usage Notes at but, whatever.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

however

(haʊˈɛvə)

sentence connector

1. still; nevertheless

2. on the other hand; yet

adv

3. by whatever means; in whatever manner

4. (used with adjectives expressing or admitting of quantity or degree) no matter how: however long it takes, finish it.

5. an emphatic form of how¹¹

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

how•ev•er

(haʊˈɛv ər)

adv.

1. nevertheless; yet; on the other hand; in spite of that: We have not yet won; however, we shall keep trying.

2. to whatever extent or degree; no matter how: However much you spend, I will reimburse you.

3. how?; how under the circumstances?: However did you escape?

conj.

4. in whatever way, manner, or state: Arrange your hours however you like.

[1350–1400]

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

however

You use however when you are adding a comment that contrasts with what has just been said.

Some of the food crops failed. However, the cotton did quite well.

Losing at games doesn't matter to some women. Most men, however, can't stand it.

You also use however to say that it makes no difference how something is done.

You can do it however you want.

However we add that up, it does not make a dozen.

However we prepare for retirement there are undeniably risks.

Be Careful!
Don't use 'however' as a conjunction. For example, don't say 'John always cooks dinner, however I usually wash up afterwards'. You can start a new sentence or clause, for example 'John always cooks dinner. However, I usually wash up afterwards'. Or you can use a conjunction such as but or although, for example 'John always cooks dinner, although I usually wash up afterwards.'

Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012

Thesaurus

Adv.	1.	however - despite anything to the contrary (usually following a concession); "although I'm a little afraid, however I'd like to try it"; "while we disliked each other, nevertheless we agreed"; "he was a stern yet fair master"; "granted that it is dangerous, all the same I still want to go" all the same, even so, nevertheless, nonetheless, notwithstanding, withal, still, yet
	2.	however - by contrast; on the other hand; "the first part was easy; the second, however, took hours"
	3.	however - to whatever degree or extent; "The results, however general, are important"; "they have begun, however reluctantly, to acknowledge the legitimacy of some of the opposition's concerns"
	4.	however - in whatever way or manner; "Victory, however it was brought about, was sweet"; "however he did it, it was very clever"

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

however

adverb

1. but, nevertheless, still, though, yet, even though, on the other hand, nonetheless, notwithstanding, anyhow, be that as it may Some of the food crops failed. However, the cotton did quite well.

2. no matter how, regardless of how, in whatever way However hard she tried, nothing seemed to work.

3. how on earth, how However did you find this place in such weather?

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

however

adverb

In spite of a preceding event or consideration:

all the same, nevertheless, nonetheless, still, yet.

Informal: still and all.

Idiom: be that as it may.

The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Translations

كيف؟ في أي طريقَه؟ بأي وسيلَه؟كَيفَمامَعْ ذَلِكَمَع ذلك، ولكن، بالرَّغْم مِن ذلكمَهْما يَكُن

nicméněať jakýmkoli způsobemavšakjak vůbecjakkoli

alligevelhvor meget endhvordanhvordan endikke desto mindre

jedochnochallwiewie auch immerdennoch

ωστόσοεντούτοιςόμως

sin embargocómode cualquier modode todas formasno obstante

kuitenkin

cependanttoutefoispourtantde quelque manière quenéanmoins

međutim

akárhogyanbármennyiremindamellett

hvernig í ósköpunumhvernig semsama hvernigsamt

comunquetuttaviain ogni modononostanteperò

いかに･･･であろうとも

그러나

echterdaarentegen

imidlertidmensamme hvordanhvor ... ennhvordan

jednakże

contudono entantoentretanto

однако

ako len

kakorkolivendar

hur som helsthur...än

อย่างไรก็ตาม

ancakbuna rağmennasılne kadarne kadar ... olsa da/bile

tuy nhiên

可是究竟怎样不管如何不管用什么方法

however

[haʊˈevəʳ]

A. ADV

1. (= nevertheless) → sin embargo, no obstante
most men, however, prefer black → la mayoría de los hombres, sin embargo or no obstante, prefieren el negro

2. (= no matter how)
however cold it is, we still manage to have fun → por mucho frío que haga, nos las arreglamos para pasarlo bien
he'll never catch us however fast he runs → por muy rápido que vaya or por mucho que corra no nos alcanzará
however hard she tried, she couldn't remember his name → por mucho or más que lo intentaba, no lograba acordarse de su nombre
wait 10 to 15 minutes, or however long it takes → espera 10 ó 15 minutos, o los que sean necesarios
the 5,000 spectators, or however many were there → los 5.000 espectadores, o los que fuesen
take about a metre of fabric, or however much you need → toma un metro de tela o lo que necesites

3. (in questions) (= how) → cómo
however did you manage to do that? → ¿cómo te las arreglaste para hacer eso?

B. CONJ however it's done, it has to look right → se haga como se haga, tiene que quedar bien
however we add it up, it doesn't come to 83 → lo sumemos como lo sumemos, no da 83, hagamos la suma como la hagamos, no da 83
however you want or like → como quieras
you can do it however you want → puedes hacerlo como quieras

HOWEVER

Unlike however, sin embargo and no obstante can never end a sentence; they must always go at the beginning of it or between the clauses: He has one problem, however Sin embargo, tiene un problema He does not expect to come out of the meeting with anything concrete, however No obstante, no espera salir de la reunión con nada concreto

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

however

[haʊˈɛvə^r]

conj → pourtant, cependant
This, however, isn't true → Pourtant, ce n'est pas vrai.

adv (= in whatever way) → quelle que soit la façon dont, quelle que soit la manière dont
... however you choose to do it → ... quelle que soit la façon dont tu choisis de le faire, ... quelle que soit la manière dont tu choisis de le faire
however you like, however you want → comme tu veux

(= no matter) (+ adjective) → malgré
However hard she tried, nothing seemed to work → Malgré tout ce qu'elle a essayé, rien n'a marché.

(in questions) (= how on earth) → comment

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

however

conj

→ jedoch, aber; however, we finally succeeded → wir haben es schließlich doch noch geschafft

(inf: = oh well) → na ja (inf), → nun ja (inf)

adv

(= no matter how) → wie … auch, egal wie (inf); (= in whatever way) → wie; however strong he is → wie stark er auch ist, egal wie stark er ist (inf); however you do it → wie immer du es machst, wie du es auch machst; do it however you like → machs, wie du willst; buy it however expensive it is → kaufen Sie es, egal, was es kostet; however much you cry → und wenn du noch so weinst, wie sehr du auch weinst; wait 30 minutes or however long it takes → warte eine halbe Stunde oder so lange, wie es dauert; however that may be → wie dem auch sei

(in question) → wie … bloß or nur; however did you manage it? → wie hast du das bloß or nur geschafft?

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

however

[haʊˈɛvəʳ]

1. conj (still, nevertheless) → però, comunque, tuttavia

2. adv however I do it → in qualunque modo lo faccia
however cold it is → per quanto freddo faccia
however much I try → per quanto ci possa provare
however did you do it? (fam) → come diavolo hai fatto?
however that may be → comunque sia

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

how

(hau) adverb, conjunction

1. in what way. How do you make bread? hoe كَيْفَ؟ как como jak wie hvordan πώςcómo kuidas چگونه miten commentאיך कैसे, किस ढंग से kako, na koji nacin hogy(an) bagaimana hvernig, á hvaða hátt come どのようにして 어떻게 kaip kā; kādā veidā bagaimana hoe, op welke manierhvordan, hvorledesjak څرنګه como cum каким образом ako kako kako hur อย่างไร nasıl, ne şekilde 如何 як? کیسے như thế nào 怎样

2. to what extent. How do you like my new hat?; How far is Paris from London? hoe إلى أي مدى؟ как quanto jak wie hvordan; hvor langt; hvor meget πόσο, σε ποιο βαθμό cuánto; cómo de kuidas, kui چطور،چقدر miten comment; à quelle distance איך किस दिशा में koliko mennyire, milyen bagaimana hversu, hve, hvað come, quanto どのくらい 어느 정도 kaip Kā jums patīk ...? berapa hoehvordanjak څرنګه، څومره quanto cum; cât как ako kako koliko vad, hur มาน้อยเพียงใด ne kadar/ölçüde/derecede 多少程度 як? کتنا tới mức độ nào 多少

3. by what means. I've no idea how he came here. hoe كيْفَ، بأي طريقَه как como jak wie hvordan πώς, με ποιο μέσο cómo kuidas از چه راه miten commentכיצד किसी साधन से kako, cime mi módon bagaimana hvernig come どんな手段で 어떤 방법으로 kaip kādā veidā bagaimana cara hoe, op welke manierhvordanjak, w jaki sposób له کومی لاری څخه como cum как ako kako na koji način hur โดยวิธีใด nasıl 怎麼 як, яким способом کسے طریقے سے bằng phương tiện gì 怎么

4. in what condition. How are you today?; How do I look? hoe كيْفَ؟ في أي حال؟ как como jak wie hvordan πόσο καλά, σε τι κατάσταση cómo kuidas چطور miten commentאיך किसी स्थिति में kako (u kojem stanju) hogy(an) bagaimana hvernig come どんな状態で 어떤 상태로 kaip kā; How are you? ­ Kā [] klājas? bagaimana keadaan hoehvordanjak څرنګه como cum как ako kako kako hur อยู่ในสภาพใด nasıl, ne durumda 何種狀態 як? کس حال میں tình trạng sức khoẻ; hoàn cảnh thế nào 怎样

5. for what reason. How is it that I am the last to know about this? hoe كيْفَ؟ لماذا؟ لأي سبب؟ защо como jak wie hvorfor πώς και, για ποιο λόγο cómo mispärast به چه علت miksi commentלמה किस कारण kako je?, kako to? hogy lehet az, hogy mengapa hvers vegna come どういうわけで 어떤 이유로 kaip kā tad tā? Kenapa waaromhvordandlaczego په څه علت como de ce каким образом ako kako kako to hur [kommer det sig] ด้วยเหตุใด niye, niçin, neden 為何 чого? کس وجہ سے vì lí do gì 怎么

howˈever adverb

1. in spite of that. It would be nice if we had more money. However, I suppose we'll manage with what we have. hoe dit ook al sy مَع ذلك، ولكن، بالرَّغْم مِن ذلك обаче contudo nicméně wie auch immer alligevel; på trods heraf ωστόσο, εντούτοιςsin embargo, no obstante ometi اگرچه kuitenkin cependantאולם फिर भी medutim azonban, mindamellett, mégis walaupun demikian samt (sem áður) tuttavia, comunque しかし 그럼에도 불구하고 vienok, tačiau tomēr; taču walau bagaimana pun desondankslikevel, imidlertid, menjednakże اګرکه contudo totuşi несмотря на это avšak vendar pa ipak emellertid, fast ไม่ว่าจะอย่างไร buna rağmen 可是 проте, однак تاہم tuy vậy; song 可是

2. (also how ever) in what way; by what means. However did you get here?; However did you do that? hoe كيف؟ في أي طريقَه؟ بأي وسيلَه؟ как de que modo jak vůbec wie hvordan πώς, με ποιο τρόπο cómo kuidas küll چطور miten ihmeessä comment, de quelle manièreאיך किस तरह से kako, cime hogy(an) dengan cara apa hvernig í ósköpunum come 一体どうやって (도대체) 어떻게 kaip, kokiu būdu kā gan macam mana hoe, op welke manierhvordan w jaki sposób څرنګه de que modo cum, în ce fel каким образом ako len kako neki na koji način men hur ...?, hur ... egentligen? โดยวิธีใดก็ตาม nasıl 究竟如何 як? آخر کس طرح bằng cách nào; bằng biện pháp nào 究竟怎样

3. to no matter what extent. However hard I try, I still can't do it. hoe ook al مَهْما يَكُن както и да por mais que jakkoli wie auch hvor meget end; uanset hvor όσοpor más que kui tahes هرقدرهم kuinka tahansa de quelque manière que; avoir beau כָּמָה שֶלא किसी भी तरह koliko god bármennyire, bármilyen bagaimanapun sama hvernig (per quanto) どれほど～しても 아무리 일지라도 kad ir kaip lai cik; vienalga kā walau betapa hoe dan ookhvor ... ennjakkolwiek, obojętnie jak هرڅومره هم por mais que oricât как бы ни akokoľvek kakorkoli koliko god hur ... än ไม่ว่าจะ...ขนาดไหน ne kadar 不管如何 як би не جس قدر بھی dù như thế nào 不管如何

conjunction

in no matter what way. This painting still looks wrong however you look at it. hoe ook al كَيفَما както и да não importa como ať ... jakkoli wie auch immer hvordan end όπως κι αν de todas formas, lo como lo kuidas tahes درهرحالت miten tahansa de quelque façon que אֵיך שֶלא किसी भी तरह kako god akárhogyan dengan cara apa pun hvernig sem in qualsiasi modo どんなふうに～しても 그러나 kad ir kaip lai arī kā macam mana sekalipun hoe dan ooksamme hvordan w jakikolwiek sposób, bez względu na to jak په هر حالت کی de qualquer maneira que oricum, în orice fel как угодно akokoľvek kakorkoli kako god hur... än อย่างไรก็ตาม ne olursa olsun, ne kadar ... olsa da/bile 無論如何 як ни جس طرح سے بھی bất kể như thế nào 不管用什么方法

how about

1. I would like to suggest. `Where shall we go tonight?' `How about the cinema?' wat van ما رأيَك: للتعبير عن إقْتراح ؟ предлагам que tal co třeba wie steht's mit hvad med τι θα έλεγες για...; qué tal, qué te parece mis sa arvad چطور miten olisi et si, que diriez-vous de מָה דַעֲתך עַל-? सुझाना što kažeš? mit szólnál ...-hoz? bagaimana kalau hvað segir þú um (che ne diresti di) ～はどうですか …에 대해서 어떻게 생각합니까? gal ...? kā būtu macam mana dengan valt er iets te zeggen voor? hva med ...? a może by tak ... څرنګه que tal ce ai/aţi zice de как насчёт ... čo tak kaj pa... šta misliš o vad sägs om ใช้ในการเสนอแนะ ne dersin 你覺得…如何？ як щодо? کیسا رہیگا dùng để gợi ý …怎么样？

2. what is he, are you etc going to do?; what does he, do you etc think?. We're going to the cinema tonight. How about you?; I rather like that picture. How about you? wat van jou ماذا بِشأنك؟ какво ще правиш e você? a co wie steht's mit hvad med τι θα γίνει με..; ποια γνώμη έχει...; ¿y tú/él/vosotros/ellos? aga چطور entä et vous מַה בְּקֶשֶר אֶל- क्या करने जा रहे हो što (misliš, što ceš raditi) mi a véleményed...? bagaimana pendapat hvað með þig (e tu) ～はどうですか ...은 어떻습니까? o kā [] ar tevi? macam mana En wat betreft? hvordan er det med ?; hva med ...?a څرنګه e você? şi tu/voi а вы (вам) ...? a čo Kaj pa vi? šta je sa tobom du (han, hon) då?, och du (han, hon)? ใช้ในการถามถึงอีกสิ่งหนึ่ง sen ne dersin? 那(某人)打算做什麼？ як (ви)? آپ کا کیا خیال ہے؟ dùng để hỏi ý kiến 认为怎么样

how come

for what reason. How come I didn't get any cake? hoekom كَيف حَدَثَ أن защо por que proč wie kommt es hvorfor; hvordan γιατί, πώς και...; ¿por qué?, ¿por qué razón?, ¿cómo es que...? mis põhjusel چطور miksi comment se fait-il que אֵיך יָכוֹל לִהיוֹת ऐसा क्यों है kako to, zašto hogyan lehet az, hogy... mengapa hvernig stendur á að (come mai) なぜ 어찌하여, 왜 kaip čia atsitiko, kad kā tad tā kenapa hoe komt het hvordan da?; hva kommer det av?dlaczego څرنګه por que razão cum se face că это почему же ako to, že kako to kako to varför, hur kommer det sig เหตุใด neden, niçin 怎麼會 чого це? کیونکر vì sao 怎么会...

how do you do?

words that are said by a person to someone he is being introduced to. `How do you do? My name is Smith,' he said, shaking her hand. aangename kennis, bly te kenne كَيفَ الحال؟ как си como está? těší mě Guten Tag, wie geht´s? hvordan har du det? χαίρω πολύ mucho gusto, encantado tere حال شما چطور است hyvää päivää enchanté מָה שְׁלוֹמך? कैसे हो drago mi je! jó napot kívánok! apa kabar góðan daginn, sæll og blessaður piacere! はじめまして 처음 뵙겠습니다 malonu matyti/susipažinti sveicināti! kā klājas? apa khabar hoe gaat het met u? god dag, det gleder meg miło mi اوس تاسو څرنګه یاست como está? încântat здравствуйте!, как поживаете? teší ma me veseli kako ste goddag!, hur står det till? คำทักทายอย่างเป็นทางการในการแนะนำตัวครั้งแรก tanıştığımıza memnun oldum 您好 здрастуйте! آپ کیسے ہیں؟ lời chào chính thức khi gặp ai lần đầu tiên 你好

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

however

→ مَعْ ذَلِكَ avšak ikke desto mindre jedoch ωστόσο sin embargo kuitenkin toutefois međutim tuttavia いかに･･･であろうとも 그러나 echter imidlertid jednakże contudo однако hur...än อย่างไรก็ตาม ancak tuy nhiên 可是

Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

however

adv. sin embargo, no obstante.

English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012