may

[ mey ]

/ meɪ /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR may ON THESAURUS.COM

auxiliary verb, present singular 1st person may,2nd may or (Archaic) may·est or mayst,3rd may;present plural may;past might.

(used to express possibility): It may rain.

(used to express opportunity or permission): You may enter.

(used to express contingency, especially in clauses indicating condition, concession, purpose, result, etc.): I may be wrong but I think you would be wise to go. Times may change but human nature stays the same.

(used to express wish or prayer): May you live to an old age.

Archaic. (used to express ability or power.)

Compare might¹.

Origin of may

before 900; Middle English mai 1st and 3rd person singular present indicative of mouen,Old English mæg (infinitive magan); cognate with German mögen

words often confused with may

See can¹.

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH may

1. can, may (see confusables note at can)2. may , might

Words nearby may

Maxwell Montes, Maxwell's demon, Maxwell's equations, Maxwell's field equations, Maxzide, may, maya, Mayagüez, Mayakovski, Mayan, May apple

Definition for may (2 of 3)

may²

[ mey ]

/ meɪ /

noun Archaic.

a maiden.

Origin of may

before 900; Middle English mai;Old English mæg

Definition for may (3 of 3)

May

[ mey ]

/ meɪ /

noun

the fifth month of the year, containing 31 days.

the early part of one's life, especially the prime: a young woman in her May.

the festivities of May Day.

(lowercase)British. the hawthorn.

a female given name.

Cape, a cape at the SE tip of New Jersey, on Delaware Bay.

verb (used without object)

(lowercase) to gather flowers in the spring: when we were maying.

Origin of May

before 1050; Middle English, Old English Maius<Latin, short for Maius mēnsis Maia's month

Dictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for may (1 of 5)

may¹

/ (meɪ) /

verb past might (takes an infinitive without to or an implied infinitive used as an auxiliary)

to indicate that permission is requested by or granted to someonehe may go to the park tomorrow if he behaves himself

(often foll by well) to indicate possibilitythe rope may break; he may well be a spy

to indicate ability or capacity, esp in questionsmay I help you?

to express a strong wishlong may she reign

to indicate result or purpose: used only in clauses introduced by that or so thathe writes so that the average reader may understand

another word for might 1

to express courtesy in a questionwhose child may this little girl be?

be that as it may in spite of that: a sentence connector conceding the possible truth of a previous statement and introducing an adversative clausebe that as it may, I still think he should come

come what may whatever happens

that's as may be (foll by a clause introduced by but) that may be so

Word Origin for may

Old English mæg, from magan: compare Old High German mag, Old Norse mā

usage for may

It was formerly considered correct to use may rather than can when referring to permission as in: you may use the laboratory for your experiments, but this use of may is now almost entirely restricted to polite questions such as: may I open the window? The use of may with if in constructions such as: your analysis may have been more more credible if … is generally regarded as incorrect, might being preferred: your analysis might have been more credible if …

British Dictionary definitions for may (2 of 5)

may²

/ (meɪ) /

noun

an archaic word for maiden

Word Origin for may

Old English mæg; related to Old High German māg kinsman, Old Norse māgr a relative by marriage

British Dictionary definitions for may (3 of 5)

may³

/ (meɪ) /

noun

Also: may tree a Brit name for hawthorn

short for may blossom

Word Origin for may

C16: from the month of May, when it flowers

British Dictionary definitions for may (4 of 5)

May¹

/ (meɪ) /

noun

the fifth month of the year, consisting of 31 days

Word Origin for May

from Old French, from Latin Maius, probably from Maia, Roman goddess, identified with the Greek goddess Maia

British Dictionary definitions for may (5 of 5)

May²

/ (meɪ) /

noun

Robert McCredie, Baron. born 1936, Australian biologist and ecologist

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with may

may

see be that as it may; come what may; let the chips fall where they may; to whom it may concern.

单词	may
释义	may ¹ [ mey ] / meɪ / SEE SYNONYMS FOR may ON THESAURUS.COM auxiliary verb, present singular 1st person may,2nd may or (Archaic) may·est or mayst,3rd may;present plural may;past might. (used to express possibility): It may rain. (used to express opportunity or permission): You may enter. (used to express contingency, especially in clauses indicating condition, concession, purpose, result, etc.): I may be wrong but I think you would be wise to go. Times may change but human nature stays the same. (used to express wish or prayer): May you live to an old age. Archaic. (used to express ability or power.) Compare might¹. Origin of may ¹ before 900; Middle English mai 1st and 3rd person singular present indicative of mouen,Old English mæg (infinitive magan); cognate with German mögen words often confused with may See can¹. WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH may 1. can, may (see confusables note at can)2. may , might Words nearby may Maxwell Montes, Maxwell's demon, Maxwell's equations, Maxwell's field equations, Maxzide, may, maya, Mayagüez, Mayakovski, Mayan, May apple Definition for may (2 of 3) may² [ mey ] / meɪ / noun Archaic. a maiden. Origin of may ² before 900; Middle English mai;Old English mæg Definition for may (3 of 3) May [ mey ] / meɪ / noun the fifth month of the year, containing 31 days. the early part of one's life, especially the prime: a young woman in her May. the festivities of May Day. (lowercase)British. the hawthorn. a female given name. Cape, a cape at the SE tip of New Jersey, on Delaware Bay. verb (used without object) (lowercase) to gather flowers in the spring: when we were maying. Origin of May before 1050; Middle English, Old English Maius<Latin, short for Maius mēnsis Maia's month Dictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020 British Dictionary definitions for may (1 of 5) may¹ / (meɪ) / verb past might (takes an infinitive without to or an implied infinitive used as an auxiliary) to indicate that permission is requested by or granted to someonehe may go to the park tomorrow if he behaves himself (often foll by well) to indicate possibilitythe rope may break; he may well be a spy to indicate ability or capacity, esp in questionsmay I help you? to express a strong wishlong may she reign to indicate result or purpose: used only in clauses introduced by that or so thathe writes so that the average reader may understand another word for might 1 to express courtesy in a questionwhose child may this little girl be? be that as it may in spite of that: a sentence connector conceding the possible truth of a previous statement and introducing an adversative clausebe that as it may, I still think he should come come what may whatever happens that's as may be (foll by a clause introduced by but) that may be so Word Origin for may Old English mæg, from magan: compare Old High German mag, Old Norse mā usage for may It was formerly considered correct to use may rather than can when referring to permission as in: you may use the laboratory for your experiments, but this use of may is now almost entirely restricted to polite questions such as: may I open the window? The use of may with if in constructions such as: your analysis may have been more more credible if … is generally regarded as incorrect, might being preferred: your analysis might have been more credible if … British Dictionary definitions for may (2 of 5) may² / (meɪ) / noun an archaic word for maiden Word Origin for may Old English mæg; related to Old High German māg kinsman, Old Norse māgr a relative by marriage British Dictionary definitions for may (3 of 5) may³ / (meɪ) / noun Also: may tree a Brit name for hawthorn short for may blossom Word Origin for may C16: from the month of May, when it flowers British Dictionary definitions for may (4 of 5) May¹ / (meɪ) / noun the fifth month of the year, consisting of 31 days Word Origin for May from Old French, from Latin Maius, probably from Maia, Roman goddess, identified with the Greek goddess Maia British Dictionary definitions for may (5 of 5) May² / (meɪ) / noun Robert McCredie, Baron. born 1936, Australian biologist and ecologist Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 Idioms and Phrases with may may see be that as it may; come what may; let the chips fall where they may; to whom it may concern. The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Content related to may How Did The Month Of May Get Its Name?"May" may seem like a little simple name, but its origin is actually fairly complex and interesting. Sit back and read up on this little word's big history. READ MORE Other Ways To Say “To Whom It May Concern”There are few instances that require the stoic formality of "To Whom It May Concern." Learn about those, and what you can say in every other instance. READ MORE Words related to may can, will, can do, shall, should
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may

auxiliary verb, present singular 1st person may,2nd may or (Archaic) may·est or mayst,3rd may;present plural may;past might.

Origin of may

words often confused with may

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH may

Words nearby may

Definition for may (2 of 3)

noun Archaic.

Origin of may

Definition for may (3 of 3)

noun

verb (used without object)

Origin of May

British Dictionary definitions for may (1 of 5)

verb past might (takes an infinitive without to or an implied infinitive used as an auxiliary)

Word Origin for may

usage for may

British Dictionary definitions for may (2 of 5)

noun

Word Origin for may

British Dictionary definitions for may (3 of 5)

noun

Word Origin for may

British Dictionary definitions for may (4 of 5)

noun

Word Origin for May

British Dictionary definitions for may (5 of 5)

noun

Idioms and Phrases with may

Content related to may

Words related to may