1 may·be
Pronounced:
/ˈmeɪbi/
Function:
adverbMeaning:
: possibly but not certainly : perhaps
Maybe is a more informal word than perhaps. It is used when you are talking about an action that has a chance of happening in the future. ▪ Maybe we'll meet again. ▪ “Will you go to the party?” “I don't know. Maybe.” ▪ “Will you go?” “Maybe, maybe not.” ▪ Maybe I'll go and maybe I won't. ▪ They're hoping that she'll maybe change her mind. = They're hoping that maybe she'll change her mind. ▪ You should hear from them soon, maybe even by next week. = Maybe you'll hear from them by next week. It is also used to suggest something that is possibly correct, true, or proper. ▪ Maybe we should just stay here and wait. ▪ Maybe it would be better if you left. ▪ There were maybe 10,000 fans at the game. ▪ I got three, maybe four hours [=about three or four hours] of sleep last night. ▪ Maybe it's time to stop fooling around. ▪ We waited an hour, maybe more. ▪ Did you ever think that maybe, just maybe, it wasn't his fault? [=although it seems like it was his fault, did you ever consider the possibility that it wasn't?] And maybe can be used to say that one thing is true but that something else is also true. ▪ Maybe at first I didn't like her, but now she's one of my best friends. ▪ Maybe he's slow [=he may be slow], but he does very good work. ▪ Her accomplishments are impressive, maybe, but she's had a lot of help.