whoop|ing cough /huː p I ŋ kɒf, [AM ] - kɔːf/ N‑UNCOUNT Whooping cough is a serious infectious disease which causes people to cough and make a loud noise when they breathe in.
whoops / h wʊ ps/ EXCLAM You say ' whoops ' to indicate that there has been a slight accident or mistake, or to apologize to someone for it. [INFORMAL , FEELINGS ] □ Whoops, that was a mistake. □ Whoops, it's past 11, I'd better be off home.
whoosh / h wʊ ʃ, [AM ] hwuː ʃ/ (whooshes , whooshing , whooshed )
1 EXCLAM People sometimes say ' whoosh ' when they are emphasizing the fact that something happens very suddenly or very fast. [EMPHASIS ] □ Then came the riders amid even louder cheers and whoosh! It was all over.
2 VERB If something whooshes somewhere, it moves there quickly or suddenly. [INFORMAL ] □ [V adv/prep] Kites whooshed above the beach at intervals.
whop|per / h wɒ pə r / (whoppers )
1 N‑COUNT If you describe a lie as a whopper , you mean that it is very far from the truth. [INFORMAL ] □ …the biggest whopper the president told.
2 N‑COUNT If you refer to something as a whopper , you mean that it is an unusually large example of the thing mentioned. [INFORMAL ] □ As comets go, it is a whopper.
whop|ping / h wɒ p I ŋ/ ADJ [ADJ n] If you describe an amount as whopping , you are emphasizing that it is large. [INFORMAL , EMPHASIS ] □ The Russian leader won a whopping 89.9 percent 'yes' vote.
whore /hɔː r / (whores ) N‑COUNT A whore is the same as a prostitute .
who're /huː ə r , huːə r / Who're is a spoken form of 'who are'. □ I've got loads of friends who're unemployed. □ Who're you going to the pictures with?
whore|house /hɔː r haʊs/ (whorehouses ) N‑COUNT A whorehouse is the same as a brothel .
whorl / h wɜː r l, [AM ] h wɔː r l/ (whorls ) N‑COUNT A whorl is a spiral shape, for example the pattern on the tips of your fingers. [LITERARY ] □ He stared at the whorls and lines of her fingertips. □ …dense whorls of red-purple flowers.
who's /huː z, huːz/ Who's is the usual spoken form of 'who is' or 'who has', especially when 'has' is an auxiliary verb. USAGE who's
Who is and who has are sometimes contracted and pronounced /hu:z/. When you write down what someone says, you can write ‘who is’ or ‘who has’ as who’s . Don’t write them as ‘whose’. □ ‘Edward drove me here.’—‘Who’s Edward?’ □ …an American author who’s moved to London.
whose ◆◆◆ /huːz/
1 PRON You use whose at the beginning of a relative clause where you mention something that belongs to or is associated with the person or thing mentioned in the previous clause. □ I saw a man shouting at a driver whose car was blocking the street. □ …a speedboat, whose fifteen-strong crew claimed to belong to the Italian navy. □ …tourists whose vacations included an unexpected adventure.
2 PRON ; DET You use whose in questions to ask about the person or thing that something belongs to or is associated with. □ Whose was the better performance? □ 'Whose is this?'—'It's mine.' □ 'It wasn't your fault, John.'—'Whose, then?' □ Whose car were they in?
3 DET You use whose after certain words, especially verbs and adjectives, to introduce a clause where you talk about the person or thing that something belongs to or is associated with. □ I'm wondering whose mother she is then. □ I can't remember whose idea it was for us to meet again. ● CONJ Whose is also a conjunction. □ I wondered whose the coat was. □ That kind of person likes to spend money, it doesn't matter whose it is.
who|so|ever /huː soʊe və r / CONJ Whosoever means the same as whoever . [LITERARY , OLD-FASHIONED ] □ They can transfer or share the contract with whosoever they choose.
who've /huː v/ Who've is the usual spoken form of 'who have,' especially when 'have' is an auxiliary verb.
why ◆◆◆ / h wa I /
1 ADV You use why in questions when you ask about the reasons for something. □ Why hasn't he brought the bill? □ Why didn't he stop me? □ 'I just want to see him.'—'Why?' □ Why should I leave?
2 CONJ You use why at the beginning of a clause in which you talk about the reasons for something. □ He still could not throw any further light on why the elevator could have become jammed. □ Experts wonder why the U.S. government is not taking similarly strong actions against AIDS in this country. □ I can't understand why they don't want us. ● ADV [ADV after v, be ADV ] Why is also an adverb. □ I don't know why. □ It's obvious why. □ Here's why.
3 PRON You use why to introduce a relative clause after the word 'reason'. □ There's a reason why women don't read this stuff; it's not funny. □ Unless you're ill, there's no reason why you can't get those 15 minutes of walking in daily. ● ADV [n ADV ] Why is also an adverb. □ He confirmed that the city had been closed to foreigners, but gave no reason why.
4 ADV You use why with 'not' in questions in order to introduce a suggestion. □ Why not give Claire a call? □ Why don't we talk it through?
5 ADV You use why with 'not' in questions in order to express your annoyance or anger. [FEELINGS ] □ Why don't you look where you're going? □ Why don't they just leave it alone?