whose
/huːz
/interrogativePossessive determiner & pronoun
Belonging to or associated with which person: [as determiner]: whose round is it? [as pronoun]: a Mini was parked at the kerb and Juliet wondered whose it was...
- It is time for Mr Wills to decide whose side he is on, the University of Bath or the people of Swindon.
- We also tried to follow it and knocked on doors to see whose it was, also to no avail.
relativePossessive determiner
Of whom or which (used to indicate that the following noun belongs to or is associated with the person or thing mentioned in the previous clause): he’s a man whose opinion I respect...
- I knew a man whose idea of following fashion was to change his underwear once a season.
- This provoked outrage in the industry and among those whose branch line was set for the chop.
- It hopes to give people whose opinions are rarely heard the chance to tell their story.
Origin
Old English hwæs, genitive of hwā 'who' and hwæt 'what'.