where

(hwâr, wâr)
adv.

1. At or in what place: Where is the telephone?
2. In what situation or position: Where would we be without your help?
3. From what place or source: Where did you get this idea?
4. To what place; toward what end: Where is this argument leading?

conj.

1. At what or which place: She moved to the city, where jobs are available.
2. 1. In a place in which: He lives where the climate is mild.
   2. In any place or situation in which; wherever: Where there's smoke, there's fire.
3. 1. To a place in which: We should go where it is quieter.
   2. To a place or situation in which: They will go where they are happy.

n.

1. The place or occasion: We know the when but not the where of it.
2. What place, source, or cause: Where are you from?

[Middle English, from Old English hwǣr.]

USAGE NOTE   When where is used to refer to a point of origin, the preposition from is required: Where did she come from? From where I sit, the situation looks bleak. When it is used to refer to a destination, the preposition to is generally superfluous: Where is she going (rather than Where is she going to)? The place where they are going is beautiful.. When it is used to refer to the location of a person, event, or structure, the use of at is widely regarded as regional or colloquial: Where is the station (not Where is the station at)? Where he is, he has no access to a good library. See Usage Notes at why.

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Idioms beginning with where:
where one lives
where there's smoke
where do we go from here
where it's at
where one is coming from
where's the fire
where there's a will, there's a way

See also close to home (hit where one lives); fools rush in where angels fear to tread; give credit (where credit is due); know where one stands; let the chips fall where they may; not know where to turn; put one's money where one's mouth is; take up where one left off; tell someone where to get off; this is where I came in.

IN BRIEF: At what place. Also: In what way.

Where there is no struggle, there is no strength. — Oprah Winfrey.

Tutor's tip: Another word that sounds similar to "where" which means at a place that, is "wear" which means to put on the body.

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sign description: The index finger is held upward and shook.

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adverb
adverb, orig US

where it's (he's, she's) at The true state of affairs; a place of central or fashionable activity. (1965 —) .
Melody Maker The musicians frequently became frustrated...not really believing their own bands were where it was at (1971).

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For a list of words related to where, see:

• Conjunctions
• Reflections and References
• Relative Positions - where: (adv) at, in, or to what place? (conj) in or at what place

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See words rhyming with "where."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Where.

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Dansk (Danish)
adv. - hvor
conj. - der, hvor
n. - hvor

idioms:

• where it's at    hvor det foregår, hvad det drejer sig om

Nederlands (Dutch)
waar, in welk opzicht, terwijl

Français (French)
adv. - où, où (est-ce que), là où, quand, dès que, dans la mesure du
conj. - alors que
n. - l'endroit où
pron. - où, là que

idioms:

• where it's at    où ça en est

Deutsch (German)
adv. - wo, wohin, woher
pron. - wo, dort wo
conj. - wo
n. - Wo

idioms:

• where it's at    etwas lossein

Ελληνική (Greek)
adv. - πού;, προς τα πού;, όπου
pron. - πού;
conj. - όπου
n. - τόπος, σημείο, μέρος

idioms:

• where it's at    το μέρος όπου συμβαίνουν όλα τα ενδιαφέροντα

Italiano (Italian)
dove

Português (Portuguese)
adv. - onde
pron. - onde (interrog.)
conj. - onde
n. - lugar (m)

Русский (Russian)
где, откуда, куда, на какой стадии, в каком положении, каким образом, который, то место, где, там, туда, куда, туда, где, куда бы ни, тогда как, поскольку

Español (Spanish)
adv. - dónde, adónde, en dónde, por dónde
conj. - donde, adonde, por donde, en donde, dónde
n. - lugar
pron. - donde, de donde, por donde

idioms:

• where it's at    sitio o actividad de moda

Svenska (Swedish)
adv. - var, vart
pron. - där, dit
conj. - där, dit
n. - när

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
在哪里, 在...处, 到...的地步, 然而, 地点

idioms:

• where it's at    使人大感兴趣或大为激动的地方, 盛大活动的中心, 注意的中心, 热门的事

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
adv. - 在哪里
conj. - 在...處, 到...的地步, 然而
n. - 地點

idioms:

• where it's at    使人大感興趣或大為激動的地方, 盛大活動的中心, 注意的中心, 熱門的事

한국어 (Korean)
adv. - 어디에, 어디로, 어떤 점에서
conj. - 거기에서
n. - (문제의) 장소

日本語 (Japanese)
adv. - どこに, どこへ, …する, …する所, …するとそこで, そして
n. - 場所, そこ, その場所
conj. - …する所に, …であるのに対して
pron. - どこ

idioms:

• where it's at    肝心なこと
• where someone left off    やめるところ
• where there's smoke there's fire    火のないところに煙は立たない

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(ظرف) أين إلى أين, أين (ضمير) أين, حيث (حرف عطف) حيث (الاسم) حيثما, أينما, مكان‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adv. - ‮איפה?, היכן?, לאן?, מאין?, באיזה מצב?, ממי?, היכן ש-‬
conj. - ‮לאן ש-, במקום ש-, ואילו‬
n. - ‮במקום ש-‬

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