You use where to ask questions about the place something is in, or is coming from or going to.
Where did you meet him?
Where's Anna?
Where are we going?
'You'll never believe where Julie and I are going.'—'Where?'
2. conjunction
You use where after certain words, especially verbs and adjectives, to introduce a clause in which you mention the place in which something is situated or happens.
People began looking across to see where the noise was coming from.
He knew where Henry Carter had gone.
If he's got something on his mind he knows where to find me.
Ernest Brown lives about a dozen blocks from where the riots began.
Where is also a relative pronoun.
...available at the travel agency where you book your holiday.
Wanchai boasts the Academy of Performing Arts, where everything from Chinese Operato Shakespeare is performed.
3. adverb
You use where to ask questions about a situation, a stage in something, or an aspect of something.
Where will it all end?
If they get their way, where will it stop?
It's not so simple. They'll have to let the draft board know, and then where willwe be?
4. conjunction
You use where after certain words, especially verbs and adjectives, to introduce a clause in whichyou mention a situation, a stage in something, or an aspect of something.
It's not hard to see where she got her feelings about herself.
She had a feeling she already knew where this conversation was going to lead.
I didn't know where to start.
Where is also a relative pronoun.
...that delicate situation where a friend's confidence can easily be betrayed.
The government is at a stage where it is willing to talk to almost anyone.
5. conjunction
You use where to introduce a clause that contrasts with the other parts of the sentence.
Where some would have given up, she and her coach were determined to lift their game.
Sometimes a teacher will be listened to, where a parent might not.
English Easy Learning GrammarAdverbs and adverbialsWhen you want to add information about how, when, where, or to what extent somethinghas happened, you can use an adverbial. Many adverbials are members ... Read more
English Easy Learning GrammarSubordinationWhen two or more clauses are joined by a conjunction other than and, but, or, or yet,one of the clauses is the main clause; the other clauses are subordinate ... Read more
English Easy Learning GrammarThe interrogativeThe interrogative is normal for many questions. It contains a verb phrase that isfollowed by a subject. There are two main types of question: those that ... Read more
where in British English
(wɛə)
adverb
1.
a.
in, at, or to what place, point, or position?
where are you going?
b.
(used in indirect questions)
I don't know where they are
2.
in, at, or to which (place)
the hotel where we spent our honeymoon
3. (subordinating)
in the place at which
where we live it's always raining
noun
4. (usually plural)
a question as to the position, direction, or destination of something
▶ USAGE It was formerly considered incorrect to use where as a substitute for in which after a noun which did not refer to a place or position, but this use is now acceptable:we now have a situation where/in which no further action is needed
Word origin
Old English hwǣr, hwār(a); related to Old Frisian hwēr, Old Saxon, Old High German hwār, Old Norse, Gothic hvar
where in American English
(hwɛr; wɛr)
adverb
1.
in or at what place?
where is the car?
2.
to or toward what place or point?
where did he go?
3.
in what situation or position
where will we be if we lose?
4.
in what respect?
where is she to blame?
5.
from what place or source?
where did you get your information?
conjunction
6.
in or at what place
he knows where they are
7.
in or at which place
we came home, where we had dinner
8.
in or at the place or situation in which
he is where he should be
9.
in whatever place, situation, or respect in which
there is never peace where men are greedy
10.
a.
to or toward the place to which
the bus will take you where you're going
b.
to a place in which
she never goes where she's not wanted
11.
to or toward whatever place
go where you please
12. Informal
whereas
a plant needs little attention, where a pet demands a lot
13. Informal
that
used before a noun clause: still objected to by some
I see where the tax rates are going up
pronoun
14.
the place or situation in, at, or to which
he lives two miles from where he works
15.
what or which place
where do you come from?
noun
16.
the place (of an event)
to announce the when and where of the marriage
Word origin
ME wher < OE hwær, akin to Ger wo & to war- in warum: for IE base see what
Examples of 'where' in a sentence
where
It is on the wall above where he sits.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The moon brings new love into your life where rock music plays.
The Sun (2016)
Or you could meet a new love where rock music plays.
The Sun (2008)
And golf is where rock goes to die.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
An aspiring singer gets a job at a struggling club where a rock star is causing controversy.
The Sun (2013)
You can see now that it is fastened to a hook just above where the little opening for the ventilator is.
Arthur Conan Doyle The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1892)
The site or sites will have to be in an area where the rock structure provides a barrier against radioactive leakage.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
You meet where rock music plays.
The Sun (2014)
It reminds him of the kind of houses where rock bands used to hang out in Michigan.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
They must have wondered where that mysterious, green land had disappeared to.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Where was this mysterious slum?
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Some hybrid of all of the above is where most of us are heading - not too wide and long in the leg.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
The story begins in a dusty attic where'a mysterious figure' announces herself as our narrator.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
I'm hoping we get to such a point where there are not really many places above where they can go.
The Sun (2012)
Nature notes For the last two months, swifts have been circling in the sky above the houses where they had their nests in the eaves.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
In other languages
where
British English: where /wɛə/ ADVERB
You use where to ask questions about the place something is in.
Where's your house?
American English: where
Arabic: أَيْنَ
Brazilian Portuguese: onde
Chinese: 什么地方
Croatian: gdje
Czech: kam
Danish: hvor
Dutch: waar
European Spanish: dónde
Finnish: missä
French: où
German: wo
Greek: πού
Italian: dove
Japanese: どこに
Korean: 어디에
Norwegian: der hvor
Polish: gdzie
European Portuguese: onde
Romanian: unde
Russian: где
Latin American Spanish: dónde
Swedish: var
Thai: ที่ไหน
Turkish: nerede
Ukrainian: кудиде
Vietnamese: ở đâu
British English: where /wɛə/ CONJUNCTION
You use where to talk about the place in which something is situated or happens.
People were wondering where the noise was coming from.
American English: where
Arabic: حَيْثُ
Brazilian Portuguese: onde
Chinese: 在...地方
Croatian: gdje
Czech: kde
Danish: hvor
Dutch: waar
European Spanish: donde
Finnish: missä
French: où
German: wo
Greek: όπου
Italian: dove
Japanese: ･･･する所に
Korean: ...하는 곳에
Norwegian: der
Polish: gdzie
European Portuguese: onde
Romanian: unde
Russian: где
Latin American Spanish: donde
Swedish: där
Thai: ในที่ซึ่ง
Turkish: nerede
Ukrainian: звідки
Vietnamese: ở nơi mà
All related terms of 'where'
where's
where is
where'er
at, in, or to every place or point which; where
where away?
in what direction ?
where it's at
the real place of action
where one lives
in one's sensitive or defenceless position
where you left off
If something continues from where it left off , it starts happening again at the point where it had previously stopped .
credit where credit's due
If you say ' credit where credit's due ', you are admitting that you ought to praise someone for something that they have done or for a good quality that they possess .
where the shoe pinches
the source of trouble , grief , difficulty , etc.
where do we go from here?
If someone says ' Where do we go from here? ' they are asking what should be done next , usually because a problem has not been solved in a satisfactory way .
where someone is coming from
You can use expressions like I know where you're coming from or you can see where she's coming from to say that you understand someone's attitude or point of view .
not know where to put oneself
to feel awkward or embarrassed
tell someone where to get off
If you tell someone where to get off , you tell them in a rather rude way that you are not going to do or agree to what they want .
where there's smoke there's fire
If someone says where there's smoke there's fire , they mean that there are rumors or signs that something is true so it must be at least partly true.
let the chips fall where they may
let the consequences be what they may
put one's money where one's mouth is
to take appropriate action to support what one has said
put your money where your mouth is
to give practical support to causes or activities that you believe are right , especially by giving money
rush in where angels fear to tread
If you say that someone rushes in where angels fear to tread , you are criticizing them gently because they get themselves into dangerous or difficult situations without thinking carefully enough about what they are doing.
fools rush in where angels fear to tread
said to criticize a person who did something too quickly without thinking clearly about the likely consequences
if necessary/when necessary/where necessary
If you say that something will happen if necessary , when necessary , or where necessary , you mean that it will happen if it is necessary, when it is necessary, or where it is necessary.
to put your money where your mouth is
If you say that you want someone to put their money where their mouth is , you want them to spend money to improve a bad situation , instead of just talking about improving it.
as far as sth is concerned/where sth is concerned
You can say as far as something is concerned to indicate the subject that you are talking about.
there's no smoke without fire where there's smoke there's fire
If someone says there's no smoke without fire or where there's smoke there's fire , they mean that there are rumours or signs that something is true so it must be at least partly true.
what in the world/who in the world/where in the world
You can use in the world in expressions such as what in the world and who in the world to emphasize a question , especially when expressing surprise or anger .
Chinese translation of 'where'
where
(wɛəʳ)
adv
(= in or to what place) 在哪里(裡) (zài nǎlǐ)
⇒ Where's Jane?简在哪里？ (Jiǎn zài nǎlǐ?)
conj
(= the place in which) 哪里(裡) (nǎlǐ)
⇒ Do you know where he is?你知道他在哪里吗？ (Nǐ zhīdào tā zài nǎlǐ ma?)
⇒ People looked to see where the noise was coming from.人们想弄清噪音是从哪里传来的。 (Rénmen xiǎng nòngqīng zàoyīn shì cóng nǎlǐ chuánlái de.)
(relating to phase) 在 ... 阶(階)段 (zài ... jiēduàn)
⇒ The government is at a stage where it is willing to talk.政府正处于乐于进行会谈的阶段。 (Zhèngfǔ zhèng chǔyú lèyú jìnxíng huìtán de jiēduàn.)
⇒ That's where you're wrong!那就是你的错误所在！ (Nà jiùshì nǐ de cuòwù suǒzài!)
(= whereas) 然而 (rán'ér)
⇒ Sometimes a teacher will be listened to, where a parent might not.有时老师的话听得进去，而父母的可能就不行了。 (Yǒushí lǎoshī de huà tīng de jìnqù, ér fùmǔ de kěnéng jiù bùxíng le.)
where are you from?你是哪里(裡)人？ (nǐ shì nǎlǐ rén?)
where will it all end?到哪儿(兒)才是个(個)头(頭)？ (dào nǎr cái shì gè tóu?)
this is where ... (lit) 这(這)是 ... 的地方 (zhè shì ... de dìfang) (fig) 这(這)是 ... 之处(處) (zhè shì ... zhī chù)