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# perhaps

«perhaps» in Mova's school dictionary: **possible but not certain** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

adverb

### meaning for a pupil

1) Perhaps means maybe; it is possible but not certain. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/perhaps/#m1)

2) Used to make a request or idea sound polite. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/perhaps/#m2)

### sense in the lessons

Used in stories and talk to show something is not sure: "Perhaps it will rain." In maths and science it shows a guess or prediction, not a fact. Polite use: "Perhaps you could help me?"

### examples

- Perhaps it will snow tomorrow. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/perhaps/#x1)
- Perhaps the cat is hiding under the bed. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/perhaps/#x2)
- Perhaps you could close the window, please. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/perhaps/#x3)
- "Will you come?" "Perhaps." [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/perhaps/#x4)
- Perhaps the answer is 12, but let me check. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/perhaps/#x5)
- She was perhaps the fastest runner in the school. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/perhaps/#x6)
- Perhaps we should take an umbrella. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/perhaps/#x7)
- “Perhaps he is ill,” Michael said. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/perhaps/#x8)

### note

Same meaning as "maybe" and "possibly"; "perhaps" sounds a little more formal. Usually at the start of a sentence. It never means "definitely".

### In the corpora

- [Africa kept more of its big animals, perhaps because they grew up alongside people and learned to fear them.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/272-mammoths-and-the-ice-age-giants/16/)
- [He's kind and good-natured — though perhaps not very clever, and rather boastful and conceited.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/29-willows-ch2-part1-ducks-ditty-and-toad-hall/7/)
- [Perhaps he's not very clever ... and it may be that he is both boastful and conceited.»](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/29-willows-ch2-part1-ducks-ditty-and-toad-hall/24/)
- [Perhaps some other day — when we've more time».](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/56-willows-ch9-part1-change-in-the-air/21/)
- [The book calls it «perhaps the most conceited song that any animal ever composed».](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/63-willows-ch10-part3-the-conceited-song/2/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «perhaps» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/perhaps/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.