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how
1[ hou ]
adverb
- in what way or manner; by what means?:
How did the accident happen?
- to what extent, degree, etc.?:
How damaged is the car?
- in what state or condition?:
How are you?
- for what reason; why?:
How can you talk such nonsense?
- to what effect; with what meaning?:
How is one to interpret his action?
- what?:
How do you mean? If they don't have vanilla, how about chocolate?
- (used as an intensifier):
How seldom I go there!
- by what title or name?:
How does one address the president?
- at what price:
How are the new cars going, cheaper than last year's models?
- by what amount or in what measure or quantity?:
How do you sell these tomatoes?
- in what form or shape?:
How does the demon appear in the first act of the opera? How does the medication come?
conjunction
- the manner or way in which:
He couldn't figure out how to solve the problem.
- about the manner, condition, or way in which:
I don't care how you leave your desk when you go. Be careful how you act.
- in whatever manner or way; however:
You can travel how you please.
- Informal. that:
He told us how he was honest and could be trusted.
noun
- a question concerning the way or manner in which something is done, achieved, etc.:
a child's unending whys and hows.
- a way or manner of doing something:
to consider all the hows and wherefores.
- a word formerly used in communications to represent the letter H.
how
2[ hou ]
interjection
- (used as a greeting in imitation of American Indian speech.)
how
1/ ʊ /
adverb
- in what way? in what manner? by what means?: how did it happen? Also used in indirect questions: tell me how he did it
- to what extent?
how tall is he?
- how good? how well? what…like?
how did she sing?
how was the holiday?
- how about?used to suggest something
how about a cup of tea?
how about asking her?
- how are you?what is your state of health?
- how come? informal.what is the reason (that)?
how come you told him?
- how's that for…?
- is this satisfactory as regards…?
how's that for size?
- an exclamation used to draw attention to a quality, deed, etc
how is that for endurance?
- how's that?
- what is your opinion?
- cricket (an appeal to the umpire) is the batsman out? Also writtenhowzatʊˈzæt
- how now? or how so? archaic.what is the meaning of this?
- not_standard.Alsoas how that
he told me as how the shop was closed
- in whatever way
do it how you wish
- used in exclamations to emphasize extent
how happy I was!
- and how!intensifier very much so!
- here's how!(as a toast) good health!
noun
- the way a thing is done
the how of it
how
2/ ʊ /
sentence substitute
- a greeting supposed to be or have been used by American Indians and often used humorously
Sensitive Note
Word History and Origins
Origin of how1
Origin of how2
Word History and Origins
Origin of how1
Origin of how2
Idioms and Phrases
- and how! Informal. certainly! you bet!:
Am I happy? And how!
- how come? Informal. how is it that? why?:
How come you never visit us anymore?
- how so? how does it happen to be so? why?:
You haven't any desire to go? How so?
- Here's how, Informal. (used as a toast.)
More idioms and phrases containing how
- and how
Example Sentences
I am unsure how it became synonymous with this time of year, but it is fully entrenched.
a blessing it would have been to know and trust things were going to work out, maybe not how I thought or wanted at the time, but workout nonetheless.
In Ohio, for example, Republicans argued that voters didn’t recognize how broad a right they had ushered in—or how many restrictions would be constitutionally suspect once the ballot initiative was in place.
Instead, they reason that voters didn’t understand how extreme Amendment 3 was—and didn’t have a real choice because they weren’t offered a middle ground between Amendment 3 and the old ban, which contained only a life exception.
"I'm hoping for something in the three hours mark, but we'll see how it goes on the day. Mid-three hours would be a happy result."
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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