Usually means: Expresses possibility, permission, or wish.
Definitions Related words Phrases Mentions Lyrics History Colors (New!) Easter eggs (New!)
We found 46 dictionaries that define the word may:

General (30 matching dictionaries)
  1. may: Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
  2. May, may: Merriam-Webster
  3. May, May, may, may: Oxford Learner's Dictionaries
  4. May, may, may: American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language
  5. may: Collins English Dictionary
  6. May, may: Vocabulary.com
  7. Ma'y, May, ma'y, may, may, may, may: Wordnik
  8. May, may: Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary
  9. May, may: Wiktionary
  10. may: Webster's New World College Dictionary, 4th Ed.
  11. May, may: The Wordsmyth English Dictionary-Thesaurus
  12. may: Infoplease Dictionary
  13. May, may: Dictionary.com
  14. May, may: Online Etymology Dictionary
  15. may: Cambridge Essential American English Dictionary
  16. May (Guilty Gear), May (burmese singer), May (disambiguation), May (film), May (given name), May (month), May (movie), May (painting), May (pokemon), May (singer), May (surname), May: Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia
  17. May: Online Plain Text English Dictionary
  18. may: Webster's Revised Unabridged, 1913 Edition
  19. May: Rhymezone
  20. may: AllWords.com Multi-Lingual Dictionary
  21. may: Webster's 1828 Dictionary
  22. May: E Cobham Brewer, The Reader's Handbook
  23. MAY: Stammtisch Beau Fleuve Acronyms
  24. May: Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898)
  25. may: FreeDictionary.org
  26. may: Mnemonic Dictionary
  27. May: TheFreeDictionary.com
  28. May: Wikimedia Commons US English Pronunciations

Art (1 matching dictionary)
  1. An Etymological Dictionary of Classical Mythology (No longer online)

Business (4 matching dictionaries)
  1. may: Law.com Dictionary
  2. Everybody's Legal Dictionary (No longer online)
  3. May (month), May: Legal dictionary
  4. BusinessDictionary.com (No longer online)

Computing (2 matching dictionaries)
  1. BABEL: Computer Oriented Abbreviations and Acronyms (No longer online)
  2. May (month), May: Encyclopedia

Medicine (1 matching dictionary)
  1. May: Merriam-Webster Medical Dictionary

Miscellaneous (7 matching dictionaries)
  1. Navajo Code Talkers' Dictionary (No longer online)
  2. baby names list (No longer online)
  3. Brilliant Dream Dictionary (No longer online)
  4. MAY: Acronym Finder
  5. MAY: Three Letter Words with definitions
  6. AbbreviationZ (No longer online)
  7. may: Idioms

Science (1 matching dictionary)
  1. May: LITTLE EXPLORERS(TM) Picture Dictionary

(Note: See maying as well.)

Definitions from Wiktionary (
)
American English Definition British English Definition
verb:  (obsolete, intransitive) To be strong; to have power (over).
verb:  (obsolete, auxiliary) To be able; can.
verb:  (intransitive, poetic) To be able to go.
verb:  (modal auxiliary verb, defective) To have permission to, be allowed. Used in granting permission and in questions to make polite requests.
verb:  (modal auxiliary verb, defective) Granting the admissibility of a supposition, in a way that can be semantically either subjunctive or indicative.
verb:  (modal auxiliary verb, defective) Expressing a present possibility; possibly.
verb:  (modal auxiliary verb, defective) Expressing a disjunctive or contrastive relation between indicative statements.
verb:  (subjunctive present, defective, chiefly poetic) Expressing a wish (with present subjunctive effect).
verb:  Used in modesty, courtesy, or concession, or to soften a question or remark.
noun:  The hawthorn bush or its blossoms.
verb:  (poetic, intransitive) To gather may, or flowers in general.
verb:  (poetic, intransitive) To celebrate May Day.
noun:  (archaic) A maiden.
noun:  The fifth month of the Gregorian calendar, following April and preceding June.
noun:  A female given name, usually pet name for Mary and Margaret, reinforced by the month and plant meaning.
noun:  A surname from Middle English.
noun:  A number of places in the United States:
noun:  A former settlement in Amador County, California.
noun:  An unincorporated community in Lemhi County, Idaho.
noun:  An unincorporated community in McDonald County, Missouri.
noun:  A small town in Harper County, Oklahoma.
noun:  An unincorporated community in Brown County, Texas.
noun:  An unincorporated community in Pocahontas County, West Virginia.
noun:  A number of townships in the United States, listed under May Township.
noun:  A surname.

Similar:

Opposite:

Types:

Phrases:

Adjectives:

Colors:
    green,     pink,     yellow,     lavender,     light blue, more...



Word origin

Words similar to may

Usage examples for may

Idioms related to may

Wikipedia articles (New!)

Popular adjectives describing may

Words that often appear near may

Rhymes of may

Invented words related to may

Similar:

Opposite:

Types:

Phrases:

Adjectives:

Colors:
    green,     pink,     yellow,     lavender,     light blue, more...



Writing poetry or lyrics? You can find related words that match a given meter.
This feature is permanently available from the "Related words" tab and from the Thesaurus.



List phrases that spell out may 




Home   Reverse Dictionary / Thesaurus   Datamuse   Word games   Spruce   Feedback   Dark mode   Random word   Help


Color thesaurus

Use OneLook to find colors for words and words for colors

See an example

Literary notes

Use OneLook to learn how words are used by great writers

See an example

Word games

Try our innovative vocabulary games

Play Now

Read the latest OneLook newsletter issue: Threepeat Redux