whom're

English

Etymology

whom + ’re (“are”)

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: hwo͞oʹmə, IPA^(key): /ˈʍuː.mə/
• (US) enPR: hwo͞oʹmr, IPA^(key): /ˈʍuːməɹ/

Contraction

whom’re

1. (informal, interrogative) whom are
   • 1939, Irwin Shaw, Sailor off the Bremen, page 9? 〃, 〃:

     “Whom’re you playing this week?” Ernest said.
     “Georgetown.”

   • 1943, Estelle Schrott, Heaven is for the Angels, Appleton-Century, page 65:

     Hector clapped his hands loudly and looked around the room.
     “Whom’re you applauding?” Molly asked naively.
     “Applauding? Oh — oh — ” Hector began to laugh and the others at the table joined him. “That’s the way we summon waiters and servants here,” he explained.

   • 1956, Irwin Shaw, Lucy Crown, page 296 ^〃 (third edition; Random House):

     “Whom’re you calling?” Tony asked.
     “Your mother.”

   • 1958, Mykhaĭlo Kot︠s︡i︠u︡bynsʹkyĭ, Chrysalis, page 16 ^〃 (Foreign Languages Publishing House):

     “Whom’re you talking of? What’s happened?” asked Ion.

   • 1975, Gordon Rupert Dickson, Soldier, Ask Not, Sphere, page 188:

     ‘Whom’re you trying to fool?’ I said. ‘Whom? I see through you just like the people on all the other worlds do! I know you know what a mumbo-jumbo your United Churches are. I know you know the way of life you sing of through your nose so much isn’t what you claim it is. I know your Eldest Bright and his gang of narrow-minded old men are just a gang of world-hungry tyrants that don’t give a damn for religion or anything as long as they get what they want. I know you know it — and I’m going to make you admit it!’

   • 1978, Hugh Gantzer, Flashpoint!, Vikas, →ISBN, page 69, →ISBN:

     Rohan Batra threw back his head and guffawed. “What is this?” he bellowed, “jungle thrills for tourists? First you show us a herd of tame elephants, then you get all spooky about a puddle of dirty water. And finally you weave a tale around a harmless forest guard standing in a fire-break. Come off it! Whom’re you trying to fool?”

Usage notes

This term is relatively rare, since whom is rather formal while contractions are rather informal.

Related terms

• whom’d
• whom’ll
• whom’s
• whom’ve