Standard Lemma guide

wherever

adv · conj · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American: /(h)wɛɹˈɛvɚ/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /wɛəˈɹɛvə/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɛvə(ɹ)
  • CMU ARPABET: W EH0 R EH1 V ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: HH W EH0 R EH1 V ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adv

Meaning 1

Where ever; an emphatic form of where.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: interrogative, not-comparable

Examples

  • Wherever have you been all my life?

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adv

Meaning 2

In, at or to any place that one likes or chooses.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: informal, not-comparable

Examples

  • I don't care what you do with it; just put it wherever.
  • Where do you want to have lunch? — Wherever; I don't mind.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adv

Meaning 3

The place (no matter where) in, at or to which.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Qualifier: fused relative

Examples

  • He's back from wherever he's been hiding.
  • Go home to wherever you belong.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

conj

Meaning 4

Regardless of the place in, at or to which.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Wherever you go, I’ll find you.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

conj

Meaning 5

In, at or to any place (that); anywhere.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • You can sit wherever you like.
  • I'd follow you wherever you went.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

conj

Meaning 6

In, at or to all places or situations (that); everywhere.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Add quotations wherever they are needed.
  • I see mistakes wherever I look.
  • Our charity has limited funds, but we help wherever we can.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

conj

Meaning 7

Used to show that one does not know where someone or something is located.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • She lives in Puddletown, wherever that is.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

adverb

Meaning 8

where in the world

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: wheresoever

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From where + ever.

Across languages

Translations

102 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: къде (kǎde) — emphatic form of "where"
  • Bulgarian: накъде (nakǎde) — emphatic form of "where"
  • Catalan: onsevulla — emphatic form of "where"
  • Danish: hvor — emphatic form of "where"
  • Danish: hvor i alverden — emphatic form of "where"
  • Dutch: waar toch — emphatic form of "where"
  • Esperanto: kie ajn — emphatic form of "where"
  • Esperanto: kien ajn — emphatic form of "where"
  • Finnish: missä ihmeessä — emphatic form of "where"
  • Finnish: missä kummassa — emphatic form of "where"
  • Finnish: missä ikinä — emphatic form of "where"
  • French: où donc — emphatic form of "where"
  • German: wo immer — emphatic form of "where"
  • Polish: gdzież — emphatic form of "where"
  • Polish: dokądże — emphatic form of "where"
  • Russian: где́ же (gdé že) — emphatic form of "where"
  • Russian: куда́ же (kudá že) — emphatic form of "where"
  • Scottish Gaelic: ge be àite — emphatic form of "where"
  • Yiddish: וווּ נישט איז (vu nisht iz) — emphatic form of "where"
  • Yiddish: וווּ נאָר (vu nor) — emphatic form of "where"
  • Yiddish: וווּ סע זאָל נישט זײַן (vu se zol nisht zayn) — emphatic form of "where"
  • Arabic: أَيْنَ (ʔayna) — in any place, anywhere
  • Arabic: أَيْنَمَا (ʔaynamā) — in any place, anywhere
  • Arabic: حَيْثُمَا (ḥayṯumā) — in any place, anywhere
  • Arabic: أي مكان (ay mukān) — in any place, anywhere
  • Arabic: وين ما كان (wēn mā kān) — in any place, anywhere
  • Bulgarian: където и да е (kǎdeto i da e) — in any place, anywhere
  • Catalan: onsevulga — in any place, anywhere
  • Catalan: onsevol — in any place, anywhere
  • Catalan: onsevulla — in any place, anywhere
  • Chinese Mandarin: 無論何處 /无论何处 (wúlùnhéchù) — in any place, anywhere
  • Ngazidja Comorian: haina mahala — in any place, anywhere
  • Czech: kdekoli — in any place, anywhere
  • Czech: kamkoli — in any place, anywhere
  • Danish: hvor — in any place, anywhere
  • Danish: hvor end — in any place, anywhere
  • Dutch: waar — in any place, anywhere
  • Dutch: waar ook — in any place, anywhere
  • Esperanto: kie ajn — in any place, anywhere
  • Finnish: missä tahansa — in any place, anywhere
  • Finnish: missä vain — in any place, anywhere
  • Finnish: missä ikinä — in any place, anywhere
  • Finnish: mihin tahansa — in any place, anywhere
  • Finnish: mihin vain — in any place, anywhere
  • Finnish: mihin ikinä — in any place, anywhere
  • French: où — in any place, anywhere
  • French: là où — in any place, anywhere
  • French: quelque part que — in any place, anywhere
  • French: où que — in any place, anywhere
  • Galician: nalgures — in any place, anywhere
  • German: wo auch immer — in any place, anywhere
  • German: wo immer — in any place, anywhere
  • Greek: οπουδήποτε (opoudípote) — in any place, anywhere
  • Italian: dovunque — in any place, anywhere
  • Japanese: どこでも (dokodemo) — in any place, anywhere
  • Latin: ubicumque — in any place, anywhere
  • Latin: ubiubi — in any place, anywhere
  • Malay: di mana jua — in any place, anywhere
  • Malay: di mana sahaja — in any place, anywhere
  • Malay: ke mana jua — in any place, anywhere
  • Malay: ke mana sahaja — in any place, anywhere
  • Norwegian: hvor enn — in any place, anywhere
  • Old Norse: hvars — in any place, anywhere
  • Plautdietsch: wua'emma — in any place, anywhere
  • Polish: gdziekolwiek — in any place, anywhere
  • Polish: dokądkolwiek — in any place, anywhere
  • Polish: gdzie tylko — in any place, anywhere
  • Polish: dokąd tylko — in any place, anywhere
  • Polish: gdzie nie — in any place, anywhere
  • Polish: dokąd nie — in any place, anywhere
  • Portuguese: onde quer que — in any place, anywhere
  • Russian: где́ бы ни (gdé by ni) — in any place, anywhere
  • Russian: где́ бы ни́ бы́ло — in any place, anywhere
  • Russian: где уго́дно (gde ugódno) — in any place, anywhere
  • Russian: куда́ бы ни (kudá by ni) — in any place, anywhere
  • Russian: куда́ бы ни́ бы́ло — in any place, anywhere
  • Russian: куда́ уго́дно (kudá ugódno) — in any place, anywhere
  • Scottish Gaelic: ge be àite — in any place, anywhere
  • Serbo-Croatian: kudgod — in any place, anywhere
  • Serbo-Croatian: gdegod — in any place, anywhere
  • Spanish: dondequiera — in any place, anywhere
  • Spanish: donde sea — in any place, anywhere
  • Spanish: adondequiera (whitherever) — in any place, anywhere
  • Bulgarian: навсякъде където (navsjakǎde kǎdeto) — in all places, everywhere
  • Danish: hvor — in all places, everywhere
  • Dutch: waar ook — in all places, everywhere
  • Finnish: missä tahansa — in all places, everywhere
  • Finnish: missä vain — in all places, everywhere
  • Finnish: missä ikinä — in all places, everywhere
  • French: partout où — in all places, everywhere
  • Galician: xalundes — in all places, everywhere
  • Greek: οπουδήποτε (opoudípote) — in all places, everywhere
  • Italian: ovunque followed by the subjunctive — in all places, everywhere
  • Italian: dappertutto — in all places, everywhere
  • Japanese: どこでも (dokodemo) — in all places, everywhere
  • Malay: di mana-mana — in all places, everywhere
  • Polish: wszędzie — in all places, everywhere
  • Portuguese: onde quer que — in all places, everywhere
  • Russian: везде́ (vezdé) — in all places, everywhere
  • Russian: повсю́ду (povsjúdu) — in all places, everywhere
  • Scottish Gaelic: ge be àite — in all places, everywhere
  • Yoruba: nibikibi — in all places, everywhere