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Definition of who
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : what or which person or persons —used as an interrogativewho was elected?find out who they are —used by speakers on all educational levels and by many reputable writers, though disapproved by some grammarians, as the object of a verb or a following prepositionwho did I see but a Spanish lady— Padraic Columdo not know who the message is from— G. K. Chesterton
2 : the person or persons that : whoever
3 —used as a function word to introduce a relative clause —used especially in reference to personsmy father, who was a lawyer but also in reference to groupsa generation who had known nothing but war— R. B. West or to animalsdogs who … fawn all over tramps— Nigel Balchin or to inanimate objects especially with the implication that the reference is really to a personearlier sources who maintain a Davidic ancestry— F. M. Cross —used by speakers on all educational levels and by many reputable writers, though disapproved by some grammarians, as the object of a verb or a following prepositiona character who we are meant to pity — The Times Literary Supplement (London)
as who as who should say who is who or who's who or who was who
archaic : as one that : as if someone
archaic : so to speak
: the identity of or the noteworthy facts about each of a number of persons
WHO
abbreviationDefinition of WHO (Entry 2 of 2)
World Health Organization
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- Which of the following words is not a synonym for ‘a young person’?
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Merriam-Webster unabridgedWords at Play
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Time Traveler for who
The first known use of who was before the 12th century
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