wherefore

Syllables: where·fore/ˈwɛəˌfɔː/US/ˈweɹˌfɔɹ/

wherefore adverb: why, for what reason, because of what.

Adverb

wherefore (not comparable)

(archaic, conjunctive, interrogative) Why, for what reason, because of what.
- Ah, Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo? / Denie thy Father, and refuſe thy name, / Or if thou wilt not be but ſworne my loue, / And il'e no longer be a Capulet.c. 1591–1595 (date written), [William Shakespeare], […] Romeo and Juliet. […] (First Quarto), London: […] Iohn Danter, published 1597, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii]
- VVherefore weepe you?1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published...
(archaic, conjunctive, formal, indicative) Therefore; thus.
- For behold, by the power of his word man came upon the face of the earth, which earth was created by the power of his word. Wherefore, if God being able to speak and the world was, and to speak and man was created, O then, why not able to command the earth, or the workmanship of his hands upon the...1830, Joseph Smith Jr., chapter 4, in The Book of Mormon^(https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Book_of_Mormon_(1981)/Jacob#Chapter_4), Jacob
- Wherefore, Judge G. Thomas Porteous, Jr., is guilty of high crimes and misdemeanors and should be removed from office.2010 March 17, House of the United States, House Resolution 1031

Conjunction

wherefore

(archaic) Because of which.
- Wherefore, thus ſaith the holy one of Iſrael, Becauſe ye deſpise this word, and truſt in oppreſſion and peruerſeneſſe, and ſtay thereon: Therefore this iniquitie ſhalbe to you as a breach ready to fall, ſwelling out in a high wall, whoſe breaking commeth ſuddenly at an inſtant.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Isaiah 30:12–13, column 1
- Wherefore it was that by the time the authorities awoke to the fact that something had happened Billy Byrne was fifty miles west of Joliet, bowling along aboard a fast Santa Fe freight.1914 October – 1916 July, Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Mucker, Chicago, Ill.: A[lexander] C[aldwell] McClurg & Co., published 31 October 1921, →OCLC

Noun

wherefore (plural wherefores)

An intent or purpose; a why.
- Ant[ipholus of Syracuse]. Shall I tell you why? / S. Dro. [Dromio of Syracuse] I, ſir, and wherefore; for they ſay, euery why hath a wherefore.c. 1594 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Comedie of Errors”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount...
- Let Us make one to seek, to seek and never to find out concerning the wherefore of the making of the gods.1905, Lord Dunsany [i.e., Edward Plunkett, 18th Baron of Dunsany], The Gods of Pegāna, London: [Charles] Elkin Mathews, […], →OCLC

wherefore meaning in Tamil, Urdu and Sanskrit

wherefore in Tamil

ஆகையால், அதனால், எதற்காக, எதனால், ஆகவே, எனவே

wherefore in Sanskrit

wherefore, for which reason, because of which: यतस् yátas

Examples of wherefore in a sentence

Wherefore doe the wicked liue, become old, yea, are mightie in power?1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Job 21:7, column 1:
And if he preached other than the right doctrine, wherefore did his superiors in the Carthusian convent permit it?1828 May 15, [Walter Scott], chapter II, in Chronicles of the Canongate. Second Series. […] (The Fair Maid of Perth), volume III...
"Wherefore this worried look on your face?1920, Herman Cyril McNeile, chapter 1, in Bulldog Drummond:
They want their money without reference to the hows and wherefores.1996, Richard Bausch, Good Evening Mr. & Mrs. America, and All the Ships at Sea, page 72:

All 19 example sentences with wherefore

Forms of wherefore

Adverb
alternative form	wherefor
alternative form	wherfore
Noun
plural	wherefores

Plural of wherefore: wherefores

Origin of wherefore

From Middle English wherfor, wherfore, hwarfore, equivalent to where- (“what”) + for. Compare Dutch waarvoor (“what for, wherefore”), German wofür (“for what, what for, why”), Danish and Norwegian hvorfor (“wherefore, why”), Swedish varför (“wherefore, why”). More at where, for.

Words formed from wherefore

Questions about wherefore

What does wherefore mean?: Wherefore means why, for what reason, because of what.
What is wherefore in Tamil?: Wherefore in Tamil is ஆகையால், அதனால், எதற்காக. See Wherefore meaning in Tamil.
How do you use wherefore in a sentence?: Wherefore doe the wicked liue, become old, yea, are mightie in power?
What part of speech is wherefore?: Wherefore can be an adverb, a conjunction or a noun.
How do you pronounce wherefore?: Wherefore is pronounced /ˈwɛəˌfɔː/ (UK).

Words near wherefore in the dictionary

Adapted from Wiktionary: wherefore (page history and authors); wherefore (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); اس لئے (Urdu) (page history and authors); यतस् (Sanskrit) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

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Cite this entry: “wherefore.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/wherefore. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.