maybe
See also: may be
English
editAlternative forms
editEtymology
editFrom an ellipsis of Middle English it may be, equivalent to may be. Compare mayhap.
Pronunciation
edit- (UK, US) enPR: mā'bē, IPA(key): /ˈmeɪbi/, [ˈmeɪ̯bi]
Audio (US): (file) Audio (UK): (file) - Rhymes: -eɪbi
Adverb
editmaybe (not comparable)
- Perhaps, possibly.
- A small extra effort now can maybe save you much work later.
- Maybe I was imagining it, but I could swear that the dog understood what I was saying.
- (as a pro-sentence) Perhaps that is true (expressing no commitment to a decision or a neutral viewpoint to a statement).
- 2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)
- (UK, meiosis) Certainly.
- Maybe not the best idea.
Usage notes
edit- Do not confuse maybe with the verb construction may be: "Maybe that's true", but "That may be true".
Synonyms
edit- (perhaps): mayhaps, peradventure, perhaps, possibly
- (as a pro-sentence): could be, mayhaps, might be, perhaps, possibly, that’s possible
Derived terms
editTranslations
editindicating a lack of certainty
|
as a pro-sentence
|
Adjective
editmaybe (comparative more maybe, superlative most maybe)
- Possible; uncertain.
- 1687, John Dryden, The Hind and the Panther, part III line 294:
- Then add those may-be years thou hast to live
Noun
editmaybe (plural maybes)
- (informal) Something that is possibly true.
- (informal) An answer that shows neither agreement nor disagreement.
- The results of the poll were inconclusive. We got two yeses, three nos, and four maybes.
- (informal) A future event that may or may not happen.
- About your raise: it's a big maybe.
Synonyms
editDerived terms
editAnagrams
editCategories:
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English compound terms
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- Rhymes:English/eɪbi
- Rhymes:English/eɪbi/2 syllables
- English lemmas
- English adverbs
- English uncomparable adverbs
- English terms with usage examples
- British English
- English meioses
- English adjectives
- English terms with quotations
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- English informal terms
- English hedges
- English modal adverbs