Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adverb Maybe; possibly.
from The Century Dictionary.
- It may be; possibly; peradventure; perchance.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adverb By chance; peradventure; perchance; it may be.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adverb Modifies a verb, indicating a lack of certainty.
- adverb rare By chance.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adverb by chance
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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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.
Chapter I 1917
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Here is my duty to Altamaha plain before me; perhaps they ll let me help settle the Negro problems there, perhaps they wont.
XIII. Of the Coming of John. William Edward Burghardt 1903
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“I might perhaps go to Leipsic while you are in Constance, -- _perhaps_.”
A Woman's Will Anne Warner 1891
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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 Harry Collingwood 1886
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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 John Gibson Paton 1865
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'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 George Paston
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But perhaps -- _perhaps_ -- I shall let you off lightly if you tell us where the Banshee lives. "
David and the Phoenix Edward Ormondroyd
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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 Mrs. Molesworth 1880
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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.
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Literature: a name perhaps invented by Shakespeare for a character in his play The Merchant of Venice.
15,000 Baby Names Bruce Lansky 2010
trivet commented on the word perhaps
...lizards?
May 14, 2007