# maybe

Pronunciation: say "MAY-bee" /ˈmeɪ.bi/

## Adverb

1. Used to express that something is possible or might be true, but is not certain.
   - Simple: Used to say that something is possible but not certain.
   - _Maybe the package will arrive before the weekend._
   - _He said maybe he would join us, depending on his schedule._
2. Tones down a proposal, an offer or a request, making it come across as tactful rather than insistent.
   - Simple: Added to an idea, offer or request so it sounds gentle and polite, not too strong.
   - _Maybe you'd like to sit down while you wait for the doctor?_
   - _Maybe we should take another look at the budget before we vote on it._
3. Said on its own as an answer, neither agreeing nor refusing, so that a decision or opinion is left open.
   - Simple: Used as a reply that gives no definite answer and leaves a decision or opinion open.
   - _"Will you take the job?" "Maybe. I need to think it over."_
   - _She answered maybe, unwilling to commit to either side._
7. Certainly; said as a deliberate understatement, so that a point everyone can see is true sounds merely possible. *(UK)*
   - Simple: Used to say that something is clearly true while sounding as if you are not sure.
   - _Taking the ferry out in a force-nine gale was maybe not the wisest plan we've ever had._
   - _He's maybe had a few too many: he's singing to the lamp post outside the pub._

## Noun

4. An answer of 'maybe', referred to or counted as a thing; a reply that neither agrees nor disagrees, as in 'two yeses and three maybes'. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: An answer that does not say yes and does not say no.
   - _His noncommittal maybe left the committee without clear direction._
   - _We got a maybe from the supplier, so nothing is settled._
5. Something that may or may not happen or be true; an uncertain possibility. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Something that might happen or might be true, but is not certain.
   - _The merger remains a maybe until both boards vote._
   - _We treated the concert as a maybe and kept our plans loose._

## Adjective

6. Describing something as possible but not yet certain; still undecided.
   - Simple: Not certain or decided, but still possible.
   - _Sorting through the applications, she made three piles: yes, no, and a maybe pile she would come back to on Monday._
   - _The list has twelve definite guests and four maybe guests who have not replied._

## Origin

This comes from a shortening of the Middle English phrase "it may be", made up of "may" plus "be".

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/maybe (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).