what·ev·er

(wŏt-ĕv′ər, wŭt-, hwŏt-, hwŭt-)

pron.

1. Everything or anything that: Do whatever you please.

2. What amount that; the whole of what: Whatever is left over is yours.

3. No matter what: Whatever happens, we'll meet here tonight.

4. Which thing or things; what: Whatever does he mean?

5. Informal What remains and need not be mentioned; what have you: Please bring something to the party—pretzels, crackers, whatever.

adj.

1. Of any number or kind; any: Whatever requests you make will be granted.

2. All of; the whole of: She applied whatever strength she had left to the task.

3. Of any kind at all: No campers whatever may use the lake before noon.

interj. Informal

Used to indicate indifference to or scorn for something, such as a remark or suggestion: We're having pizza tonight.—Whatever. I don't care.

Usage Note: Both whatever and what ever may be used in sentences such as Whatever (or What ever) made her say that? Critics have occasionally objected to the one-word form, but many respected writers have used it. The same is true of the forms whoever, whenever, wherever, and however. In adjectival uses, however, only the one-word form is used: Take whatever (not what ever) books you need. · When a clause beginning with whatever is the subject of a sentence, no comma should be used: Whatever you do is right. In most other cases, a comma is needed: Whatever you do, don't burn the toast. · When a noun followed by a restrictive clause is preceded by whichever or whatever, it is regarded as incorrect to introduce the clause with that in formal writing: whatever book that you want to look at; one should write instead Whatever book you want to look at will be sent to your office or Whichever book costs less (not that costs less) is fine with us. See Usage Notes at however, that.

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.

whatever

(wɒtˈɛvə; wət-)

pron

1. everything or anything that: do whatever he asks you to.

2. no matter what: whatever he does, he is forgiven.

3. informal an unknown or unspecified thing or things: take a hammer, chisel, or whatever.

4. an intensive form of what, used in questions: whatever can he have said to upset her so much?.

determiner

an intensive form of what: use whatever tools you can get hold of.

adj

(postpositive) absolutely; whatsoever: I saw no point whatever in continuing.

interj

informal an expression used to show indifference or dismissal

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

what•ev•er

(ʰwʌtˈɛv ər, ʰwɒt-, ʰwət-, wʌt-, wɒt-, wət-)

pron.

1. anything that (usu. used in relative clauses): Do whatever you like.

2. (used relatively to indicate a quantity of a specified or implied antecedent): Take whatever you like of these.

3. no matter what: Do it, whatever happens.

4. any or any one of a number of things whether specifically known or not: papers, magazines, or whatever.

5. what (used interrogatively): Whatever do you mean?

adj.

6. in any amount; to any extent: whatever merit the work has.

7. no matter what: whatever rebuffs you might receive.

8. being what or who it may be: Whatever the reason, she refuses to go.

9. of any kind (used as an intensifier following the noun or pronoun it modifies): any person whatever.

interj.

10. (used to indicate indifference to a state of affairs, situation, previous statement, etc.)

[1300–50]

whatever

Whatever can be a pronoun, a determiner, or an adverb.

1. used as a pronoun or determiner

You use whatever as a pronoun or determiner to refer to anything or everything of a particular kind.

I read whatever I could find about the course.

You can buy whatever ingredients you need from the market.

You can also use whatever to say that something is true in all possible circumstances.

Whatever happens, I'll be back by five.

Whatever type of garden you have, you can have fun growing your own vegetables.

2. used as an adverb

You use whatever after nothing or after a noun phrase beginning with no to emphasize that there is nothing of a particular kind.

He knew nothing whatever about it.

There is no scientific evidence whatever to support this view.

3. used in questions

Whatever is sometimes used in questions to express surprise.

Whatever is the matter?

Whatever do you want to go up there for?

However, many people consider this form to be incorrect, and it is better to write what ever as two separate words.

What ever does it mean?

4. used as an informal response

In informal conversation, people sometimes use whatever as a response, to show that they do not care or have no opinion about something. This use can sound rude.

'Shall we get a pizza tonight?' – 'Whatever. I don't mind.'

'You really should try to be more organized with your schoolwork.' – 'Yeah, whatever.'

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

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Adj.

whatever - one or some or every or all without specification; "give me any peaches you don't want"; "not any milk is left"; "any child would know that"; "pick any card"; "any day now"; "cars can be rented at almost any airport"; "at twilight or any other time"; "beyond any doubt"; "need any help we can get"; "give me whatever peaches you don't want"; "no milk whatsoever is left"

any, whatsoever

some - quantifier; used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity; "have some milk"; "some roses were still blooming"; "having some friends over"; "some apples"; "some paper"

Translations

أي شَيءٍأيَّ شَيءمَهْمامَهْمَا

cokoli

hvad i alverdenhvad som helsthvilken som helstligegyldigt hvaduanset

alles (was wir wollen)egal überhaupt was was auch immer

ό,τι οτιδήποτε

cualquier cualquiera cuanto en absoluto qué

mitä tahansa

n'importe quoi quelque quoi que

štogod

akármibármiugyan mi ?

allshvaîhvaî semhvaîa sem er

qualsiasi cosa qualunque a qualsiasi prezzo comunque

何でも

어떤~이든

maakt niet uitwat

akkurat det som hva ... enn hva i all verden hva som helst hvilken ... enn

cokolwiek

qualquer qualquer um

всякий

čo asi

karkoli

vad som helstvad som…än

สิ่งใดก็ตาม

her neher neresiher neyseherhangi bir hiç

bất cứ thứ gì

任何事任何的凡是...的事物无论什么

whatever

[wɒtˈevəʳ]

A. PRON

1. (= no matter what) whatever it may be → sea lo que sea
whatever he says → diga lo que diga
whatever happens → pase lo que pase
get it, whatever it costs → cómpralo, cueste lo que cueste
whatever the weather → haga el tiempo que haga

2. (= anything that) → lo que; (= everything that) → todo lo que
whatever you like → lo que quieras
do whatever you want → haz lo que quieras
we'll do whatever's necessary → haremos lo que haga falta
whatever you say (acquiescing) → lo que quieras
"I tell you I'm ill" - "whatever you say" (iro) → -te digo que estoy enfermo -sí, sí or -sí, lo que tú quieras
whatever I have is yours → todo lo que tengo es tuyo
whatever you find → todo lo que or cualquier cosa que encuentres
or whatever they're called → o como quiera que se llamen

3. (in questions) → qué
whatever do you mean? → ¿qué quieres decir?
whatever did you do? → ¿pero qué hiciste?
whatever did you say that for? → ¿a santo de qué dijiste eso?

4. (= other similar things) you can put your pyjamas, sponge bag and whatever in here → aquí puedes guardar el pijama, el neceser y todas esas cosas

B. ADJ

1. (= any) → cualquier; (= all) → todo
whatever book you choose → cualquier libro que elijas
whatever books you choose → cualquier libro de los que elijas
give me whatever change you've got → dame todo el cambio que tengas

2. (= no matter what) whatever problems you've got, we'll help → nosotros te ayudaremos, tengas el problema que tengas

3. (in questions) → qué
whatever time is it? → ¿qué hora podrá ser?
whatever help will that be? → ¿para qué servirá eso?

C. ADV (with negative) → en absoluto
nothing whatever → nada en absoluto
it's no use whatever → no sirve para nada
he said nothing whatever of interest → no dijo nada en absoluto que tuviera interés

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

whatever

[^hwɒtˈɛvə^r]

adj (= any)
We can help with whatever problems you have → Nous pouvons vous aider à résoudre tous les problèmes que vous pourriez rencontrer.
Whatever doubts he might have had about Ingrid were all over now → Quels qu'aient été ses doutes sur Ingrid, ils étaient maintenant entièrement dissipés.

pron

(= anything, regardless of what)
Do whatever is necessary → Faites tout ce qui sera nécessaire.
People will judge you whatever you do → Les gens vous jugeront quoi que vous fassiez.
Franklin could do pretty much whatever he pleased → Franklin était libre de faire tout ce qu'il voulait ou presque.
"I love you," he said. - "Whatever that means," she said → "Je t'aime" dit-il. "Allez savoir ce que ça veut dire" répondit-elle.
whatever happens → quoi qu'il arrive
whatever you do (when giving advice) → quoi qu'il arrive, sous aucun prétexte
Whatever you do, don't touch that switch → Quoi que vous fassiez, ne touchez pas à cet interrupteur.

(= whatsoever) no reason whatever → absolument aucune raison
nothing whatever → absolument rien
There's nothing whatever we can do about it → Nous ne pouvons absolument rien y faire.
There's no doubt whatever about it → Il n'y a absolument aucun doute à ce sujet.

(for emphasis) (= what)
Whatever is the matter? → Que se passe-t-il donc?
Whatever are you crying for? → Pourquoi donc pleures-tu?

or whatever → ou quoi que ça soit d'autre

whatever! (as reply showing indifference) → tout ce que vous voulez

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

whatever

pron

→ was (auch) (immer); (= no matter what) → egal was, ganz gleich was; whatever you like → was (immer) du (auch) möchtest; shall we go home now? — whatever you like or say → gehen wir jetzt nach Hause? — ganz wie du willst; whatever it’s called → egal wie es heißt, soll es heißen, wie es will; … or whatever they’re called → … oder wie sie sonst heißen; or whatever → oder sonst (so) etwas

(interrog) → was … wohl; (impatiently) → was zum Kuckuck (inf); whatever does he want? → was will er wohl?, was er wohl will?; (impatiently) → was, zum Kuckuck, will er denn?; whatever do you mean? → was meinst du denn bloß?

adj

→ egal welche(r, s), welche(r, s) (auch) (immer); whatever book you choose → welches Buch Sie auch wählen; whatever else you do → was immer du or egal was du auch sonst machst; for whatever reasons → aus welchen Gründen auch immer

(with neg) → überhaupt, absolut; nothing whatever → überhaupt or absolut gar nichts; it’s of no use whatever → es hat überhaupt or absolut keinen Zweck

(interrog) whatever good can come of it? → was kann daraus nur Gutes werden?; whatever reason can he have? → was für einen Grund kann er nur or bloß or wohl haben?; whatever else will he do? → was wird er nur or bloß or wohl noch alles machen?

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

whatever

[wɒtˈɛvəʳ]

1. pron

a. (anything that) → (tutto) ciò che, (tutto) quello che; (no matter what) → qualsiasi or qualunque cosa + sub
do whatever you want → fa' quello or ciò che vuoi
do whatever is necessary → fai qualunque cosa sia necessaria
whatever happens → qualsiasi or qualunque cosa succeda
whatever it costs → costi quello che costi
or whatever they're called → o come caspita si chiamano

b. (emphatic) whatever do you mean? → cosa vorresti dire?
whatever did you do that for? → perché mai l'hai fatto?

2. adj & adv (any) whatever book you choose → qualsiasi or qualunque libro tu scelga; (all) give me whatever money you've got → dammi i soldi che hai
nothing whatever → proprio niente
it's no use whatever → non serve proprio a nulla
no reason whatever or whatsoever → nessuna ragione al mondo

what

(wot) pronoun, adjective

1. used in questions etc when asking someone to point out, state etc one or more persons, things etc. What street is this?; What's your name/address / telephone number?; What time is it?; What (kind of) bird is that?; What is he reading?; What did you say?; What is this cake made of?; `What do you want to be when you grow up?' `A doctor.'; Tell me what you mean; I asked him what clothes I should wear.

2. (also adverb) used in exclamations of surprise, anger etc. What clothes she wears!; What a fool he is!; What naughty children they are!; What a silly book this is!

relative pronoun

1. the thing(s) that. Did you find what you wanted?; These tools are just what I need for this job; What that child needs is a good spanking!

2. (also relative adjective) any (things or amount) that; whatever. I'll lend you what clothes you need; Please lend me what you can.

whatˈever relative adjective, relative pronoun

any (thing(s) or amount) that. I'll lend you whatever (books) you need.

adjective, pronoun

no matter what. You have to go on, whatever (trouble) you meet; Whatever (else) you do, don't say that!

adjective

whatsoever; at all. I had nothing whatever to do with that.

pronoun

(also what ever) used in questions or exclamations to express surprise etc. Whatever will he say when he hears this?

ˈwhatnot noun

such things. He told me all about publishing and whatnot.

ˈwhat's-his/-her/-its etc -name noun

used in referring vaguely to a person or thing. Where does what's-his-name live?

ˌwhatsoˈever (-sou-) adjective

at all. That's nothing whatsoever to do with me.

know what's what

to be able to tell what is important.

what about?

1. used in asking whether the listener would like (to do) something. What about a glass of milk?; What about going to the cinema?

2. used in asking for news or advice. What about your new book?; What about the other problem?

what … for

1. why(?). What did he do that for?

2. for what purpose(?). What is this switch for?

what have you

and similar things; and so on. clothes, books and what have you.

what if?

what will or would happen if ...?. What if he comes back?

what … like?

used when asking for information about someone or something. `What does it look like?' `It's small and square.'; `What's her mother like?' `Oh, she's quite nice.'; We may go – it depends (on) what the weather's like.

what of it?

used in replying, to suggest that what has been done, said etc is not important. `You've offended him.' `What of it?'

what with

because of. What with taking no exercise and being too fat, he had a heart attack.

whatever

→ مَهْمَا cokoli hvad som helst alles (was wir wollen) οτιδήποτε cualquier, cualquier cosa mitä tahansa n'importe quoi štogod qualsiasi cosa 何でも 어떤~이든 wat hva som helst cokolwiek qualquer, qualquer um всякий vad som…än สิ่งใดก็ตาม ne istersen bất cứ thứ gì 任何事