why
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
How often you will meet it
Rank 153 of 71,295 words measured. It occurs 158,254 times across 175,160 chapters — 0.075% of every word in the library.
It belongs to the first 500 words, the band worth learning before any other.
What it means
noun
- the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores” also: wherefore
why in real books
Each sentence below was written by a published author and is taken from a different book in our library. Open one to read the passage it came from, with narration.
-
But, then, why should he smile so kindly upon you?
Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded · Samuel Richardson · Chapter 1
-
I asked him why he would go and not I?
The Life and Most Surprising Adventures · Daniel Defoe · Chapter 1
-
You know why, an' you know hit's wuth it to me.
The Heart of the Hills · John, Jr. Fox · Chapter 1
-
And "Why, for cat's sake, can't you tell a fellow what's up your sleeve?"
The Courage of the Commonplace · Mary Raymond Shipman Andrews · Chapter 1
-
Why, my dear Basil, he is a Narcissus, and you—well, of course you have an intellectual expression and all that.
The Picture of Dorian Gray · Oscar Wilde · Chapter 1