English dictionary, thesaurus, translations & etymology
FreeDict.com
pron

who

hoo
pron
1
Used to ask about the identity of a person or people.
"Who left the door open?"
"Who is coming to the party tonight?"
2
Used to introduce a clause that gives more information about a person already mentioned.
"The woman who called earlier left her number."

How to Use Who

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA question word or connector used to ask about, or refer back to, a specific person.

Common mistake

Use "who" for the subject of a clause ("who called?") and "whom" for the object ("to whom did you speak?") — though "who" is now standard in most everyday speech even where "whom" would be strictly correct.

Easily confused with

Word Forms

whos plural

Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “who” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage

Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

_____ left the door open?

Etymology

From Old English hwā, part of the same ancient family of question-words as what, when, and where, going back to a shared Proto-Indo-European root.

Definitions: FreeDict original editorial