ENGLISH
REFERENCE

whomever

pron.
C1 Advanced US //huˈmɛvɝ// UK //hˈuːmɛvɐ// whomev·er Formal

pron. any person at all, used when that person is the object of a verb or preposition. You use this in very formal writing instead of 'whoever'.

pron. the objective case of 'whoever', used as the object of a verb or a preposition. Primarily restricted to formal or literary registers; in modern speech, 'whoever' is almost universally substituted.


SIMPLE

You can invite whomever you like to the party.

CONTEXTUAL

The committee will grant the scholarship to whomever they deem most deserving after the final interviews.

COMPLEX

The legal document stipulates that the assets shall be distributed to whomever the executor identifies as the primary beneficiary, provided all tax obligations have been met.

Origin

From Middle English whomever; equivalent to whom + ever.

Usage

Used as an object pronoun; often follows a preposition like 'to', 'for', or 'with'.

Pitfall

Whomever wants to go is welcome.Whoever wants to go is welcome.Use 'whoever' for the subject of a verb ('wants') and 'whomever' only for the object.

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