per·haps
Pronounced:
/pɚˈhæps/
Function:
adverbMeaning:
: possibly but not certainly : maybe
Perhaps is a more formal word than maybe. It is used when you are talking about an action that might happen in the future. ▪ Perhaps we'll meet again. ▪ “Will you come with us?” “I don't know. Perhaps.” ▪ “Will you come with us?” “Perhaps, perhaps not.” ▪ “Perhaps I'll come with you and perhaps I won't.” ▪ They're hoping that she'll perhaps change her mind. = They're hoping that perhaps she'll change her mind. ▪ You should hear from them soon, perhaps even by next week. = Perhaps you'll hear from them by next week. It is also used to suggest something that is possibly correct, true, or proper. ▪ Perhaps we should just stay here and wait. ▪ Perhaps it would be better if you left. ▪ There were perhaps 10,000 people at the event. ▪ The shed is 20, perhaps 25, feet long. ▪ We waited an hour, perhaps more. ▪ Perhaps it's time to think about your future. And perhaps can be used to say that one thing is true but that something else is also true. ▪ Perhaps it's not as great as her first book, but it's still worth reading. ▪ The instructions are still confusing, perhaps, but they're much better than they were before.