whose

[ hooz ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

pronoun

(the possessive case of who used as an adjective):
Whose umbrella did I take? Whose is this one?
(the possessive case of which used as an adjective):
a word whose meaning escapes me; an animal whose fur changes color.
the one or ones belonging to what person or persons:
Whose painting won the third prize?

whose

/ ��ː�� /

determiner

1. of whom? belonging to whom? used in direct and indirect questions
  I told him whose fault it was
  whose car is this?
2. ( as pronoun )
  whose is that?
of whom; belonging to whom; of which; belonging to which: used as a relative pronoun
a house whose windows are broken

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Usage Note

Sometimes the phrase of which is used as the possessive of which: Chicago is a city of which the attractions are many or Chicago is a city the attractions of which are many. The use of this phrase can often seem awkward or pretentious, whereas whose sounds more idiomatic: Chicago is a city whose attractions are many.

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Word History and Origins

Origin of whose¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English whos, early Middle English ��; replacing hwas, Old English ��æ��, genitive of interrogative pronoun �� who

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Word History and Origins

Origin of whose¹

Old English ��æ��, genitive of �� who and ��æ�� what

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

"Near that Queen of Peace, to whom I have always turned for help and whose embrace I have sought more than a hundred times during my pontificate," he explained in his will.

From

For Belgian tourist Dirk, whose wife was queuing to see the Pope lying in state in the basilica, the sombre atmosphere since the Pope's death is something that "draws people in, it's something they want to be a part of".

From

The comedian — whose breakout role as foul-mouthed football player with a heart of gold Roy Kent on “Ted Lasso” earned him two Emmys and who co-created the series “Shrinking” — has been packing his schedule with film projects and TV show appearances since “Ted Lasso” premiered in 2020.

From

In Gaelic lore, a “banshee” is a female spirit whose scream warns of impending death.

From

“She had to learn how to drive to apply,” said Molly Chew, project director at Vecina, a nonprofit whose ReUnite project works nationwide to help expedite the process for families with detained immigrant children.

From

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?whosesoever

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