# who're

/ˈhɔɹ/ (US) · /hˈɔː/ (UK) · CEFR B1 · Noun

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/whore
Updated: 2026-05-02

## Definition

a short way of saying 'who are'. You use this in casual talking or writing when asking about a group of people.

For teachers: a contraction of the relative or interrogative pronoun 'who' and the plural or second-person singular present indicative of 'be' (are). Used primarily in informal speech and writing to represent spoken elision.

## Examples

- Who're those people standing by the door?
- I need to find out who're the main organizers for the charity event this weekend.
- The manager asked for a list of the employees who're planning to attend the conference so she could finalize the travel arrangements.

## Usage notes

- Used in informal contexts; the apostrophe replaces the 'a' in 'are'.

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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.