whom're
English
Etymology
Pronunciation
- Lua error in Module:parameters at line 291: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "RP" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. enPR: hwo͞oʹmə, IPA(key): /ˈʍuː.mə/
- Lua error in Module:parameters at line 291: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "US" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. enPR: hwo͞oʹmr, IPA(key): /ˈʍuːməɹ/
Contraction
whom’re
- (informal, interrogative) whom are
- 1939, Irwin Shaw, Sailor off the Bremen, page 9? 〃, 〃:
- “Whom’re you playing this week?” Ernest said.
“Georgetown.”
- “Whom’re you playing this week?” Ernest said.
- 1943, Estelle Schrott, Heaven is for the Angels, page 65 (Appleton-Century):
- 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.
- Hector clapped his hands loudly and looked around the room.
- 1956, Irwin Shaw, Lucy Crown, page 296 〃 (third edition; Random House):
- “Whom’re you calling?” Tony asked.
“Your mother.”
- “Whom’re you calling?” Tony asked.
- 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, page 188 (Sphere):
- ‘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!, page 69 (Vikas; →ISBN, 9780706907131):
- 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?”
- 1939, Irwin Shaw, Sailor off the Bremen, page 9? 〃, 〃:
Usage notes
This term is relatively rare, since whom is rather formal while contractions are rather informal.