What does "may" mean?
The hawthorn bush or its blossoms.
May
/meɪ/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The hawthorn bush or its blossoms.
- Grammar: may is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: allow, can, could, crataegus laevigata.
- Useful contrasts: certain, disallow, forbid.
- Usage evidence: I may give up soon and just nap instead.
How to use "may"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "may" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "may" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "may" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "may" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "may" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "allow" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "may", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The hawthorn bush or its blossoms. uncountable
"The fire from Lindfield was coming down the grassy hillside to the right between the hedges of may."
- 2 A maiden. archaic
- 3 thorny Eurasian shrub of small tree having dense clusters of white to scarlet flowers followed by deep red berries; established as an escape in eastern North America wordnet
- 4 the month following April and preceding June wordnet
Verb
- 1 To be strong; to have power (over). intransitive, no-past-participle, no-present-participle, obsolete
- 2 To gather may, or flowers in general. intransitive, poetic
"Soo it befelle in the moneth of May / quene Gueneuer called vnto her knyȝtes of the table round / and she gafe them warnynge that erly vpon the morowe she wold ryde on mayeng in to woodes & feldes besyde westmynstre. "So it befell in the month of May, Queen Guenever called unto her knights of the Table Round; and she gave them warning that early upon the morrow she would ride a-Maying into woods and fields beside Westminster.""
- 3 To be able; can. auxiliary, no-past-participle, no-present-participle, obsolete
"But many times[…]we give way to passions we may resist and will not."
- 4 To celebrate May Day. intransitive, poetic
- 5 To be able to go. intransitive, no-past-participle, no-present-participle, poetic
"O weary night, O long and tedious night, Abate thy houres, shine comforts from the East, That I may backe to Athens by day-light […]."
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 To have permission to, be allowed. Used in granting permission and in questions to make polite requests. auxiliary, defective, modal, no-past-participle, no-present-participle
"you may smoke outside"
- 7 Granting the admissibility of a supposition, in a way that can be semantically either subjunctive or indicative.; Expressing a present possibility; possibly. auxiliary, defective, modal, no-past-participle, no-present-participle
"he may be lying"
- 8 Granting the admissibility of a supposition, in a way that can be semantically either subjunctive or indicative.; Expressing a disjunctive or contrastive relation between indicative statements. auxiliary, defective, modal, no-past-participle, no-present-participle
"You may be my boss, but that doesn't mean you can insult me."
- 9 Expressing a wish (with present subjunctive effect). defective, no-past-participle, no-present-participle, poetic, present, subjunctive
"may you win; may the weather be sunny; long may your reign last"
- 10 Used in modesty, courtesy, or concession, or to soften a question or remark. auxiliary, defective, modal, no-past-participle, no-present-participle
"How old may Phillis be, you ask, / Whose Beauty thus all Hearts engages."
Proper Noun
- 1 The fifth month of the Gregorian calendar, following April and preceding June. countable, uncountable
"Holonyms: calendar year; year"
- 2 A surname.
- 3 Alternative letter-case form of May. alt-of
- 4 A female given name, usually pet name for Mary and Margaret, reinforced by the month and plant meaning. countable, uncountable
"[…] I will not send Owen's Lily May to the almshouse." "Lily―what?" demanded Mrs. Morley rather sharply, for she was half provoked with what she mentally called Amy's whim of keeping the outcast child when she might send it to the asylum. "Lily May," said Amy, smiling. "Her name is Mary, and we called her first Little Mary, and then Little May. But Owen calls her Lily May.""
- 5 A surname from Middle English. countable, uncountable
Show 8 more definitions
- 6 A surname from Middle English.; Theresa May, former British prime minister. countable, uncountable
- 7 A number of places in the United States:; A former settlement in Amador County, California. countable, uncountable
- 8 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Lemhi County, Idaho. countable, uncountable
- 9 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in McDonald County, Missouri. countable, uncountable
- 10 A number of places in the United States:; A small town in Harper County, Oklahoma. countable, uncountable
- 11 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Brown County, Texas. countable, uncountable
- 12 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Pocahontas County, West Virginia. countable, uncountable
- 13 A number of places in the United States:; A number of townships in the United States, listed under May Township. countable, uncountable
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"I may give up soon and just nap instead."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "may"?
Common synonyms include: allow, can, could, crataegus laevigata, crataegus oxycantha, cut the mustard.
How do you use "may" in a sentence?
I may give up soon and just nap instead.
How do you pronounce "may"?
Pronounced /meɪ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English mowen, mayen, moȝen, maȝen, from Old English magan, from Proto-West Germanic *magan, from Proto-Germanic *maganą, from Proto-Indo-European *megʰ-. Cognate with Dutch mag (“may”, first- and third-person singular of mogen (“to be able to, be allowed to, may”)), Low German mögen, German mag (“like”, first- and third-person singular of mögen (“to like, want, require”)), Swedish må, Icelandic mega, megum. See also might.
Etymology 2
From French mai, so called because it blossoms in the month of May.
Etymology 3
From Middle English may, maye (“woman, maid, girl, virgin”), from Old English mǣġ (“kinswoman”), from Proto-West Germanic *māg, from Proto-Germanic *mēgaz (“kinsman”). Related to Old English māge, mǣġe (“kinswoman”) and Old English mǣġ (“kinsman”).
Etymology 4
From Middle English May, Mai, from Old French mai, from Latin Maius (“Maia's month”), from Maia, a Roman earth goddess.
Etymology 5
The surname is converged from several origins: * As an English surname, from Middle English May, a pet form of Matthew (see Mayhew). * As an English, Dutch, German, Polish, and Jewish surname, from the name of the month. * Also as an English surname, occasionally a pet form of Mary or Margaret. * Also as an English surname, from the obsolete noun may (“kinsman”), from Old English maga (“son, relative”). * Also as an English surname, from obsolete Middle English mei (“physician”), a borrowing from Old English mege, from Latin medicus. See Mee. * As an Irish surname, Anglicized from Ó Miadhaigh (“descendant of Miadhach”), a name derived from miadh (“honor”). * As a French surname, shortened from Lemay, Dumay. * Also as a French surname, from a derivative of Latin Marius, similar to Mario. * As a Jewish surname, from the town Mayen in Germany. * As a Chinese surname, from 麥 /麦 (see Mai) and 梅 (méi)) (see Mei). * As an Amerindian (Mexico) surname of Mayan origin, from maay (“cloven hoof”), originally "young deer."