Word
whom
US/ˈhum/
UK/hˈuːm/
Definitions
01object of a verb or preposition
B2 · Upper Intermediate Formal
pron. a formal way to say 'who' when the person is the object of a sentence.
pron. the objective form of the relative or interrogative pronoun 'who', functioning as the direct object of a verb or the object of a preposition.
“To whom should I address this letter?”
“The candidate, whom the committee had initially overlooked, delivered a presentation that fundamentally altered the board's perspective.”
Synonyms
02referring to a group
C1 · Advanced Formal · British English
pron. used to refer to a group of people, like a sports team or a band.
pron. used as a relative pronoun referring to collective nouns representing groups of people.
“The team, many of whom were exhausted, celebrated their victory.”
“The orchestra, among whom were several world-renowned soloists, began the rehearsal with an intricate contemporary piece.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “whom” in context.
Preposition
01. about whom
“Is this the author about whom you were telling me yesterday?”
prep + noun
02. by whom
“The witness could not identify the man by whom she had been approached.”
prep + noun
03. for whom
“The charity supports children for whom English is a second language.”
prep + noun
04. of whom
“There were thirty applicants, many of whom had impressive qualifications.”
prep + noun
05. to whom
“She is the person to whom you should address your formal complaint.”
prep + noun
06. with whom
“He has several colleagues with whom he collaborates on research projects.”
prep + noun
Usage
Used as the object of a verb or preposition. In modern speech, 'who' often replaces it except when immediately following a preposition.
Pitfall
The person who I gave the book to
The person to whom I gave the book
While 'who' is common in speech, 'whom' is required in formal writing if it follows a preposition directly.
Confusables
Who functions as the subject of a verb, while whom functions as the object of a verb or preposition.
RememberWho = He. Whom = Him.
Real-World Examples
“He asked his wife Sereen, whom he met as a student at Manchester University, to bring in his laptop, an Ikea fold-up table, some synthesisers, a microphone and a guitar to his hospital room.” “Around the same time, I emailed a group of 10 colleagues with whom I had been meeting throughout the semester, inviting them to join me in planning fall events.” Etymology
From Middle English whom, wham, from Old English hwām, hwǣm, from Proto-Germanic hwammai, dative case of hwaz (“who, what”). Cognate with Scots wham (“whom”), German wem (“whom, to whom”), Danish hvem (“who, whom”), Swedish vem (“who, whom”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
PRONOUN
Grammar
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Very common
- Level
- B2 · Upper IntermediateOxford
- Updated
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