# perhaps

/pɝˈhæps/ (US) · /pəhˈæps/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/perhaps
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. possibly

adverb · CEFR A2

used to say that something might be true or might happen.

For teachers: used to express uncertainty or to indicate that a statement is a possibility rather than a fact.

- Perhaps we should check the weather before we leave for our hike.
- Perhaps the most significant finding of the study is that sleep quality impacts cognitive performance more than previously assumed.

### 2. polite suggestion

adverb · CEFR B1 · Formal

you use this to be polite when suggesting an idea or asking for something.

For teachers: employed as a pragmatic marker to soften a request, suggestion, or criticism, making it appear less direct.

- Perhaps you could help me move this table to the other room?
- Perhaps you would be kind enough to forward the revised contract to the legal department for a final review.

### 3. an uncertainty

noun · CEFR C2 · Literary

a thing that is not certain or has not been decided yet.

For teachers: an uncertainty or a possibility that has not yet been confirmed. Often used in the plural 'perhapses'.

- Life is full of 'perhapses' and very few certainties.
- The future of the project is currently a series of perhapses, contingent upon the next round of venture capital funding.

## Examples

- Perhaps it will rain later today.
- If you are free this evening, perhaps we could go out for dinner together.
- The results of the study were inconclusive, suggesting that perhaps the initial hypothesis failed to account for environmental variables that influenced the participants' behavior.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.