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Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. adv. Maybe; possibly.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. It may be; possibly; peradventure; perchance.

Wiktionary

  1. adv. Modifies a verb, indicating a lack of certainty.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. adv. By chance; peradventure; perchance; it may be.

WordNet 3.0

  1. adv. by chance

Etymologies

  1. 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 neighbor’s garden or in the gutters, some worms or spiders wherewith to support my sad existence.”

    Chapter I

  • “Here is my duty to Altamaha plain before me; perhaps they ’ll let me help settle the Negro problems there, —perhaps they won’t.”

    XIII. Of the Coming of John.

  • ““I might perhaps go to Leipsic while you are in Constance, -- _perhaps_.””

    A Woman's Will

  • “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.”

    The Cruise of the Nonsuch Buccaneer

  • “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.”

    Little Memoirs of the Nineteenth Century

  • “But perhaps -- _perhaps_ -- I shall let you off lightly if you tell us where the Banshee lives. ”

    David and the Phoenix

  • “And perhaps it would have been a good fing; _perhaps_ Grandmamma would have told Cook not to send up quite so much, and ---- ”

    Us An Old Fashioned Story

  • “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.”

    Simon & Schuster: 15,000 Baby Names

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Lists

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Comments

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  • trivet ...lizards? May 14, 2007

‘perhaps’ has been looked up 3108 times, loved by 4 people, added to 37 lists, commented on 1 time, and has a Scrabble score of 14.