Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adverb Perhaps; perchance.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Peradventure; it may happen; perhaps.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adverb Prov. or Dialectic Perhaps; peradventure.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adverb archaic maybe, perhaps, possibly, perchance:

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adverb by chance

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[From the phrase it may hap.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From the phrase “it may hap”.

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Examples

  • Where others cringed in the face of officialism, the ex-ambassador had stepped forth as a master: he had shown a badge, spoken a word mayhap, and the man in the tent who had made other people tremble, stood up deferentially and obeyed all commands.

    The Elusive Pimpernel Emmuska Orczy Orczy 1906

  • There's dust on the road to the east, mayhap a kay east of the town.

    Ordermaster Modesitt, L. E. 2005

  • "What meanest thou by 'mayhap'?" demanded Sir Thomas.

    A Boy's Ride Gulielma Zollinger

  • If you should choose to lay out a trifle of twenty pieces upon their comfort, I shall see that their food is such as mayhap many of them never got at their own tables.

    Micah Clarke His Statement as made to his three grandchildren Joseph, Gervas and Reuben During the Hard Winter of 1734 Arthur Conan Doyle 1894

  • Standing within earshot of a lute will cause some people to regress to the level of a medieval simpleton who uses the word "mayhap" in sentences, refers to women as "comely wenches" and pretends not to understand what a radio (or "sorcerous talking box") is.

    Word Magazine - Comments Nahs 2009

  • Somehow, drhunt reminds me a bit of an old troll named “jake”, who, I seem to recall, falsely claimed to be a WWII veteran (or Vietnam vet, mayhap).

    Think Progress » Chris Wallace Calls The Perpetually Wrong Bill Kristol An ‘Expert’ On Iraq 2010

  • "It dawned upon me with a certain suddenness that I was different from the others; or like, mayhap, in heart and life and longing, but shut out from their world by a vast veil."

    American Girl 2009

  • "It dawned upon me with a certain suddenness that I was different from the others; or like, mayhap, in heart and life and longing, but shut out from their world by a vast veil."

    American Girl 2009

  • "It dawned upon me with a certain suddenness that I was different from the others; or like, mayhap, in heart and life and longing, but shut out from their world by a vast veil."

    American Girl 2009

  • "It dawned upon me with a certain suddenness that I was different from the others; or like, mayhap, in heart and life and longing, but shut out from their world by a vast veil."

    American Girl 2009

Comments

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  • ADVERB: Possibly but not certainly: maybe, perchance, perhaps.

    September 27, 2007

  • You mean mayhap may be madeupical? Maybe? ;-)

    September 27, 2007

  • Maybe. Perhaps. Mayhap(s).

    September 27, 2007