Wikipedia is a free online encyclopedia, created and edited by volunteers around the world and hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation. Learn definitions, uses, and phrases with what is. Is it raining, or snowing, or what? Is this exciting, or what? A clever play, what? What you need is a vacation. What angered us was the tone of the article. What does he care? … what with the war, what with the sweat, what with the gallows, and what with poverty, I am custom-shrunk. William Shakespeare. What minerals do we export? What mountains! Typographical symbols and punctuation marks are marks and symbols used in typography with a variety of purposes such as to help with legibility and accessibility, or to identify special cases. This list gives those most commonly encountered with Latin script. For a far more comprehensive list of symbols and signs, see List of Unicode characters. (used interrogatively as a request for specific information). What is the matter? (used interrogatively to inquire about the character, occupation, etc., of a person). What does he do? (used interrogatively to inquire as to the origin, identity, etc., of something). What are those birds? We can use what as a pronoun to mean ‘the thing (s) that’: … We can use what in exclamations to express a strong feeling or opinion. In this case, we use what as a determiner before a noun or before a/an (+ adjective) + noun: … What … for? We can use what … for? in two ways. pronunciation note: Usually pronounced (hwɒt ) for meanings [sense 2], [sense 4], [sense 5] and [sense 18]. You use what in questions when you ask for specific information about something that you do not know. What do you want? What did she tell you, anyway? 'Has something happened?'—'Indeed it has.'—'What?' The world's leading online dictionary: English definitions, synonyms, word origins, example sentences, word games, and more. A trusted authority for 25+ years! Chris Parker, founder of WhatIsMyIPAddress.com, has spent decades helping millions of people understand and protect their online privacy. Now he's put everything he knows into one practical guide. Used to express surprise, incredulity, or other strong and sudden excitement. 2. Chiefly British Used as a tag question, often to solicit agreement. Informal Used as an intensive at the end of a question: Is he crazy, or what? Are you a genius, or what? 1. A scolding or strong reprimand: The teacher gave the tardy student what for. 2.