DictionaryAI

who

SayHOO/hu//huː/

Often confused with whom

6 meanings of who

Practice

  1. 1
    pronounrelative
    Used to introduce a clause that describes or identifies a person or people already mentioned, whether that person does the action or receives it.

    The nurse who treated me was very kind.

    Our neighbors, who moved in last spring, have two dogs.

    UsageUse who for people (not incorrect: the man which); that also works when there are no commas.

    Similarthat

  2. 2
    pronouninterrogative
    Asks for the identity of a person or people, either directly ('Who called?') or inside a reported question ('I wonder who called').

    Who told you about the meeting?

    She wanted to know who would be driving.

    UsageReported questions use statement order: I wonder who she is (not incorrect: who is she).

    Note

    It still keeps traces of case, with whom for the object and whose for the possessive. Yet object who is no modern slip. In Othello, written around 1603, Shakespeare has Cassio ask "To who?"

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

    • Shakespeare wrote Othello around 1603; this is a composition date, not its first-publication date. en.wikipedia.org
    • Object who has historical precedent: Cassio asks exactly “To who?” in Othello, Act 1, scene 2. folger.edu
  3. 3
    group (team)pronouncolloquial
    Used, mainly outside the United States, with the names of bands, teams and other groups of people, treating the group as 'who' rather than 'what'.

    Leeds, who lost again on Saturday, are now bottom of the league.

    Our old school band, who split up years ago, are getting back together for one last concert.

    UsageThe verb often agrees with the members: Leeds, who are now bottom of the league.

    Note

    Group names take who when the speaker pictures the members rather than the unit. This is the same instinct that, outside the US, produces "the team are" rather than "the team is." It applies even to singular-sounding names like Coldplay or Arsenal. It is everyday style in British sports and music reporting.

    Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

Less common meanings

  1. 4
    identitynouncountable
    The identity of the person involved, usually listed with 'what', 'when', 'how' and 'why' among the unknowns.

    The film revisits the whos and hows of the robbery.

    Every good story answers the who before the why.

    UsageThe plural is whos, with no apostrophe: the whos and hows.

    Note

    Question words turned into nouns tend to travel in packs, as in the whos and hows of a bank heist. Unlike the question word itself, it names an unknown rather than asking about one.

  2. 5
    pronoun
    Whoever, or the person who, used with no noun before it.

    Who laughs last laughs longest.

    It's my vote, so I'll vote for who I want, not who my parents pick for me.

    UsageWhoever is more usual: invite whoever you like.

    Similarwhoever

    Note

    Grammarians call this a fused relative, because the antecedent is folded into the pronoun itself. Bare who survives mainly in proverb-shaped sentences that echo Shakespeare's "Who steals my purse steals trash."

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

    • The construction is called a fused relative because the antecedent is fused into the pronoun. en.wikipedia.org
    • The quotation is from Shakespeare's Othello, Act 3, scene 3, where Iago speaks it. folger.edu
  3. 6
    determinerdialectal
    In African-American Vernacular English, the interrogative 'who' stands for the possessive 'whose' before a noun ('who phone just rang?').

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of who apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

"Who" comes from Middle English "who" (also "wha," "hwa"), from Old English "hwā," going back through Proto-West Germanic "*hwaʀ" and Proto-Germanic "*hwaz" to Proto-Indo-European "*kʷos"; it is related to German "wer," Dutch "wie," Swedish "vem," and Icelandic "hver." The sound change from /hw/ to /h/ (without any change in the spelling) followed an irregular shift of the vowel in Middle English and a regular one in Early Modern English.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 6 facts

  • Who descends from Old English hwā through Middle English who, with variants wha and hwa. en.wiktionary.org
  • Old English hwā descends from Proto-West Germanic *hwaʀ. en.wiktionary.org
  • Proto-West Germanic *hwaʀ descends from Proto-Germanic *hwaz. en.wiktionary.org
  • Proto-Germanic *hwaz descends from Proto-Indo-European *kʷos. en.wiktionary.org
  • Who is related to German wer, Dutch wie, Swedish vem and Icelandic hver. en.wiktionary.org
  • The change from /hw/ to /h/ retained the spelling and followed irregular Middle English and regular Early Modern English vowel changes. en.wiktionary.org