Perhaps
/pəˈhæps/ adv, noun
adv, noun ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An uncertainty.
"I cannot conceive what atheism, or skepticism, or positivism could do for me now, with their negations, and endless and contradictory perhapses, and perhapses, and perhapses."
Adverb
- 1 Possibly. not-comparable
"Perhaps John will come over for dinner."
- 2 By chance. dated, not-comparable
"[…] will live until he dies perhaps, and then lie down in clover."
Adverb
- 1 by chance wordnet
Example
More examples"Perhaps you are right, I have been selfish."
Etymology
From Middle English perhappes, perhappous, variant of earlier perhap (“perhaps, possibly”), equivalent to per + hap (“chance, coincidence”) + -s, on model of Middle English parchaunce (modern perchance).