Definition of 'which'

Word Frequency

which

(hwɪtʃ )

1. pronoun & determiner

You use which in questions when there are two or more possible answers or alternatives.

Which do they want me to do, declare war or surrender?

Which are the ones you really like?

'You go down that passageway over there.'—'Which one?'

Which vitamin supplements are good value?

2. determiner

You use which to refer to a choice between two or more possible answers or alternatives.

I wanted to know which school it was you went to.

I can't remember which teachers I had.

Scientists have long wondered which parts of the brain are involved in musical tasks.

Which is also a conjunction.

In her panic she couldn't remember which was Mr Grainger's cabin.

There are so many diets on the market, how do you know which to choose?

3. pronoun

You use which at the beginning of a relative clause when specifying the thing that you are talking about or when giving more information about it.

Soldiers opened fire on a car which failed to stop at an army checkpoint.

He's based in Banja Luka, which is the largest city in northern Bosnia.

Colic describes a whole variety of conditions in which a horse suffers abdominal pain.

He was rushed to the hospital and put in a little room which had dust all over the bed.

4. pronoun

You use which to refer back to an idea or situation expressed in a previous sentence or sentences, especially when you want to give your opinion about it.

Since we started in September we have raised fifty thousand pounds, which is pretty good going.

Visited Park West. Viewed a flat, no. 76. Which I like.

Which is also a determiner.

Some people are allergic to the gelatine in the capsule, in which case you can get drops.

See which sth is which

6. any which way

7. every which way

Video: pronunciation of
which

which in British English

(wɪtʃ )

determiner

used with a noun in requesting that its referent be further specified, identified, or distinguished from the other members of a class

which house did you want to buy?

(as pronoun)

which did you find?

(used in indirect questions)

I wondered which apples were cheaper

whatever of a class; whichever

bring which car you want

(as pronoun)

choose which of the cars suit you

used in relative clauses with inanimate antecedents

the house, which is old, is in poor repair

as; and that: used in relative clauses with verb phrases or sentences as their antecedents

he died of cancer, which is what I predicted

5. the which

▶ USAGE See note at that

Word origin

Old English hwelc, hwilc; related to Old High German hwelīh (German welch), Old Norse hvelīkr, Gothic hvileiks, Latin quis, quid

Word Frequency

which in American English

(hwɪtʃ ; wɪtʃ )

pronoun

what one (or ones) of the number of persons, things, or events mentioned or implied?

which of the men answered? which do you want?

the one (or ones) that

he knows which he wants

that: used as a relative referring to the thing, group, or event specified in the antecedent word, phrase, or clause: which can be used in a restrictive clause [the war which had just ended, the class to which he spoke], in a restrictive clause preceded by the pronoun that [he sacrificed that which he valued most], in a nonrestrictive clause [my car, which is not running; my family, in which she found a warm welcome], or, archaically, of a person [Our Father, which art in heaven]

either, or any, of the persons, things, or events previously mentioned or implied; whichever

take which you prefer

a thing or fact that

you are late—which reminds me, where were you yesterday?

adjective

what one or ones (of the number mentioned or implied)

which man (or men) answered? which books did he choose?

whatever; no matter what

try which method he pleased, he could not succeed

being the one just mentioned

he is very old, which fact is important

Word origin

ME whiche < OE hwylc, hwelc, for *hwa-lic, lit., who like (akin to Goth hwileiks, OHG hwelīh, Ger welch): see who & -ly1

Example sentences including
which

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Which in many cases was exactly what happened.He makes a player feel good about himself which is very important.There were messages on his phone from two footballing figures which stood out.But which one offers the best value?He then sends them to a lab for tests which tell him which fertiliser to use to produce a good harvest.But there is other news, which you may be missing.Which way the car steers depends on how it is programmed to trade off people's lives.It is left to cure for a set number of days, after which they pull the shutters off and seal it.Which is the case with energy supply.Most pastors enter situations in which people remember the past and problems exist.