perhaps

1 of 2

adverb

per·​haps pər-ˈhaps How to pronounce perhaps (audio)
ˈpraps
: possibly but not certainly : maybe

perhaps

2 of 2

noun

: something open to doubt or conjecture

Examples of perhaps in a Sentence

Adverb perhaps we will not have to take this exam, but I doubt it
Recent Examples on the Web
Adverb
Chris Quinn, Miami Heat Besides Miami coach Erik Spoelstra, perhaps no one with the Heat has had a bigger hand in developing the team’s players than Quinn. Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 3 Apr. 2024 Investigators believe someone — perhaps the same person who killed them — may have taken the car. Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2024 This includes countries such as Germany, which among Israel’s European partners has been perhaps one of the most staunch defenders of the country. Yasmeen Serhan, TIME, 3 Apr. 2024 The company, perhaps not surprisingly, focused on the positive rather than the negative and predicted good things on the horizon. Eric D. Lawrence, Detroit Free Press, 3 Apr. 2024 Reps for the network didn’t comment at the time on the ban other than that the video would no longer air, so the motives for removing the video perhaps remain unclear. Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 3 Apr. 2024 To date, perhaps only three Indigenous Panamanian filmmakers have ventured into filmmaking. Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 3 Apr. 2024 Jackson County’s assessment, collections and recorder of deeds offices will be closed Wednesday and perhaps the rest of the week due to a ransomware attack discovered Tuesday by the county’s informational technology department. Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 2 Apr. 2024 Taken together, Democrats see the rulings as an opening to drive their voters — and perhaps new voters likely to support their candidates — to the polls. Patricia Mazzei, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'perhaps.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adverb

per + hap

First Known Use

Adverb

circa 1520, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1534, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of perhaps was circa 1520

Dictionary Entries Near perhaps

Cite this Entry

“Perhaps.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/perhaps. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

perhaps

adverb
per·​haps
pər-ˈ(h)aps,
ˈpraps
: possibly but not certainly
Etymology

Adverb

from per (preposition) "by, according to" and haps, plural of hap "chance, chance occurrence" — related to happen, happy, mishap

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