when
Americanadverb
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at what time or period? how long ago? how soon?.
When are they to arrive?
When did the Roman Empire exist?
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under what circumstances? upon what occasion?.
When is a letter of condolence in order?
When did you ever see such a crowd?
conjunction
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at what time.
to know when to be silent.
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at the time or in the event that.
when we were young;
when the noise stops.
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at any time; whenever.
He is impatient when he is kept waiting.
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upon or after which; and then.
We had just fallen asleep when the bell rang.
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while on the contrary; considering that; whereas.
Why are you here when you should be in school?
pronoun
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what time.
Till when is the store open?
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which time.
They left on Monday, since when we have heard nothing.
noun
adverb
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at what time? over what period?
when is he due?
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( used in indirect questions )
ask him when he's due
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to state when an action is to be stopped or begun, as when someone is pouring a drink
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(subordinating) at a time at which; at the time at which; just as; after
I found it easily when I started to look seriously
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although
he drives when he might walk
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considering the fact that
how did you pass the exam when you'd not worked for it?
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at which (time); over which (period)
an age when men were men
noun
Usage
When should not be used loosely as a substitute for in which after a noun which does not refer to a period of time: paralysis is a condition in which (not when ) parts of the body cannot be moved
Etymology
Origin of when
First recorded before 1000; Middle English when(ne), Old English hwenne; cognate with German wann “when,” wenn “if, when” (compare Gothic hwan “when, how”); akin to who, what
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
And when Alejandro Zendejas came in the 76th minute, he became the 23rd U.S. player to appear in the tournament, also a record.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 26, 2026
But things accelerated more quickly than some might have anticipated, when in February we reported on the prime minister's political near-death experience, when the Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, publicly called for him to go.
From BBC • Jun. 26, 2026
"Heat doesn't end when the temperature outside falls," said Deepali Tonk, who has helped organise the project for Greenpeace India.
From Barron's • Jun. 26, 2026
In 2005, Jamie Dimon was taking over as chief executive officer of JPMorgan Chase JPM 0.50%increase; up pointing triangle when he lured a Goldman Sachs foreign-exchange derivatives trader to join him.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 26, 2026
She nods and says when she was my age, that’s what she would have asked for, too.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
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.
