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where

[hwair, wair]

Origin

adverb

in or at what place?: Where is he? Where do you live?

in what position or circumstances?: Where do you stand on this question? Without money, where are you?

in what particular respect, way, etc.?: Where does this affect us?

to what place, point, or end? whither?: Where are you going?

from what source? whence?: Where did you get such a notion?

conjunction

in or at what place, part, point, etc.: Find where he is. Find where the trouble is.

in or at the place, part, point, etc., in or at which: The book is where you left it.

in a position, case, etc., in which: Where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise.

in any place, position, case, etc., in which; wherever: Use the ointment where pain is felt.

10.

to what or whatever place; to the place or any place to which: I will go where you go.

EXPAND

11.

in or at which place; and there: They came to the town, where they lodged for the night.

COLLAPSE

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Where is always a great word to know.

So is grok. Does it mean:

to understand thoroughly and intuitively

insincere talk; nonsense

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pronoun

12.

what place?: Where did you come from?

13.

the place in which; point at which: This is where the boat docks. That was where the phone rang.

noun

14.

a place; that place in which something is located or occurs: the wheres and hows of job hunting.

Idiom

15.

where it's at, Slang. where the most exciting, prestigious, or profitable activity or circumstance is to be found.

Origin:
before 900; Middle English quher, wher, Old English hwǣr; cognate with Dutch waar, Old High German hwār; akin to Old Norse hvar, Gothic hwar

Can be confused: 1. we're, were, where; 2. where, wherefore (see usage note at the current entry).

Usage note
Where … at (Where was he at?) and where … to (Where is this leading to?) are often criticized as redundant because neither at nor to adds anything to the meaning of where, and sentences like the preceding ones are perfectly clear and standard without the final at or to. This criticism does not apply to where … from, which is fully standard: Where does the money come from? The constructions where … at and where … to occur in the speech of educated people but are rare in formal speech and edited writing.

Dictionary.com Unabridged

contraction of where is: Where's my belt?

contraction of where has: Where's he been all night?

contraction of where does: Where's he study law?

Usage note
See contraction.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To where

Collins

World English Dictionary

where (wɛə)

—*adv*
1.	a. in, at, or to what place, point, or position?: where are you going?
	b. (used in indirect questions): I don't know where they are
2.	in, at, or to which (place): the hotel where we spent our honeymoon
3.	(subordinating) in the place at which: where we live it's always raining

—n
4.	(usually plural) a question as to the position, direction, or destination of something

usage It was formerly considered incorrect to use where as a substitute for in which after a noun which did not refer to a place or position, but this use has now become acceptable: we now have a situation where/in which no further action is needed

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

where

O.E. hwær, hwar, from P.Gmc. *khwar (cf. O.S. hwar, O.N. hvar, O.Fris. hwer, M.Du. waer, O.H.G. hwar, Ger. wo, Goth. hvar "where"), from PIE interrogative base *qwo- (see who).

American Heritage

Abbreviations & Acronyms

WHERE
Women for Healthcare Education, Reform, and Equity

American Heritage

Idioms & Phrases

where

In addition to the idioms beginning with where, also see close to home (hit where one lives); fools rush in where angels fear to tread; give credit (where credit is due); know where one stands; let the chips fall where they may; not know where to turn; put one's money where one's mouth is; take up where one left off; tell someone where to get off; this is where I came in.