Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adv. Maybe; possibly.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- It may be; possibly; peradventure; perchance.
Wiktionary
- adv. Modifies a verb, indicating a lack of certainty.
GNU Webster's 1913
- adv. By chance; peradventure; perchance; it may be.
WordNet 3.0
- adv. by chance
Etymologies
- From Middle English perhap : per, by (from Latin; see per) + hap, chance; see hap.
Examples
“I will leave you, Sir, I will fly; there will be enough other children to comfort you in your old age, since my mother lays three times a year; I will go far away and hide my misery from you, and perhaps, I added sobbing, perhaps I shall find, in our neighbors garden or in the gutters, some worms or spiders wherewith to support my sad existence.”
“Here is my duty to Altamaha plain before me; perhaps they ll let me help settle the Negro problems there, perhaps they wont.”
““I might perhaps go to Leipsic while you are in Constance, -- _perhaps_.””
“That action completely disarms us and perhaps -- I only say _perhaps_ -- justifies you, in a measure, in the stupendous demand which you are now making.”
“Perhaps they were worshipers of the Sun; and perhaps, amid all their misery, oh, _perhaps, _ some ray of truth from the great Father of Lights may have streamed into those darkened souls!”
The Story of John G. Paton Or Thirty Years Among South Sea Cannibals
“that a man of my order -- sincerity, perhaps genius [in the Journal a private note is here inserted, "not _perhaps_"], is not employed.”
“But perhaps -- _perhaps_ -- I shall let you off lightly if you tell us where the Banshee lives. ”
“And perhaps it would have been a good fing; _perhaps_ Grandmamma would have told Cook not to send up quite so much, and ---- ”
“Overseas aidThe indefatigable Scottish though born in Brighton full-back Russell Martin is called the Norfolk Cafu, a nickname perhaps as laden with irony as Ray "the Romford Pelé" Parlour's.”
The Guardian: Norwich City Premier League 2011-12 team guide
“Literature: a name perhaps invented by Shakespeare for a character in his play The Merchant of Venice.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘perhaps’.
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common UA vocab. in US
Interesting, there is a traditional vocabulary of an Ukrainian, that differs from vocabulary of average American. It would be nice to explore it.
jackdaw, incongruous, cassock, vivid, magpie, humdrum, amongst, wonder, wandering, wheedling, wheedle, osseous and 368 more...

trivet ...lizards? May 14, 2007