What does whose mean?
Whose is the English word used to ask about possession, association, responsibility, or the identity of the person concerned. In the question “Whose coat is this?” it asks who owns the coat. It also functions as a relative word, as in “The musician whose album won the award,” where the clause identifies a person closely connected with something already mentioned. Although traditionally associated chiefly with people, whose can refer to things as well: “the building whose roof was damaged” is accepted in modern English, while some formal style guides prefer “of which.” Whose is uninflected and appears in the same form in questions and relative clauses. It should not be confused with who's, the contraction of “who is” or “who has,” or with whom, the object form of who. Whose is especially useful because it can concisely express relationships in a compact, flexible form, particularly in questions and relative clauses.
Used to ask which person or thing something belongs to, is associated with, or is responsible for.
"Whose car is parked outside?"
In questions, whose specifies the possessor without requiring a preposition such as “of.”
Introduces a relative clause referring to the possessor, originator, subject of concern, or other person or thing associated with an antecedent.
"The teacher whose advice changed my career was unexpectedly patient."
In formal writing, some style guides prefer “of which” when whose refers to an inanimate thing.
Whose asks who owns or is responsible for something; who's is the contraction of “who is” or “who has.”
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does whose come from?
The modern form developed from Old English hwæs, a possessive or interrogative form related to the pronoun represented today by who. It passed through Middle English as whos before becoming whose in Modern English. Cognate forms appear in several Germanic languages, including German wessen and the Scandinavian words vars and hvis.
How whose is actually used
Whose is neutral in register and is standard in British and American English. It may refer to both people and things, although some traditional style guides recommend “of which” for inanimate referents in formal writing. It does not take an apostrophe; “who's” is a separate contraction of “who is” or “who has.”
Easily confused with whose
Whose identifies a possessor or the person concerned in a relative clause, while who is normally the subject of a clause or the pronoun used to ask for someone's identity.
Whom is the object form of who, whereas whose marks possession or a possessive relationship.