maybe


Also found in: Thesaurus, Acronyms, Idioms, Wikipedia.

may·be

 (mā′bē)
adv.
Used to indicate uncertainty or possibility: We should maybe take a different route. Maybe it won't rain.
n. Informal
1. An uncertainty: There are so many maybes involved in playing the stock market.
2. An uncertain reply: It's better to receive a fast and honest no than a drawn-out maybe.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

maybe

(ˈmeɪˌbiː)
adv
a. perhaps
b. (as sentence modifier): maybe I'll come tomorrow.
sentence substitute
possibly; neither yes nor no
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

may•be

(ˈmeɪ bi)

adv., n., pl. -bes. adv.
1. perhaps; possibly: Maybe I'll go too.
n.
2. a possibility or uncertainty.
[1375–1425; late Middle English may be, short for it may be]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

maybe

perhaps

You use maybe or perhaps to indicate that something is possible, although you are not certain about it. There is no difference in meaning between these words.

Maybe he was wrong.
Perhaps Andrew is right after all.

Maybe is normally used only at the beginning of a clause.

Maybe he'll be prime minister one day.
I do think about having children, maybe when I'm 40.

Perhaps can be used in other positions in a clause.

If you live in the country, you can, perhaps, profit by buying and freezing local produce.
The Allies had better luck, perhaps, than they deserved.
It was perhaps Ellen's unconventional approach to life that made her such a great actress.

Be Careful!
Do not confuse maybe (/meɪbiː/) with may be (/meɪ biː/). May be is used in sentences such as 'He may be the best person for the job'.

Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Adv.1.maybe - by chancemaybe - by chance; "perhaps she will call tomorrow"; "we may possibly run into them at the concert"; "it may peradventure be thought that there never was such a time"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

maybe

adverb perhaps, possibly, it could be, conceivably, perchance (archaic), mayhap (archaic), peradventure (archaic) Maybe he sincerely wanted to help.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

maybe

adverb
Possibly but not certainly:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
رُبَّـمَارُبَّما، من المُمْكِن
možnáasi
måske
شاید
ehkä
možda
talán
barangkali
ef til vill, kannski, má vera
もしかしたら
아마
fortasse
gal
iespējamsvarbūt
poate
azdamožnovari
mordamogoče
kanskemöjligen
อาจจะ
có thể

maybe

[ˈmeɪbiː] ADVa lo mejor, quizá(s), tal vez
maybe he'll come tomorrowa lo mejor viene mañana, puede que or quizá(s) or tal vez venga mañana
maybe I should grow a moustachea lo mejor debería dejarme bigote
there were maybe ten people in the roomhabría unas diez personas en la habitación
maybe, maybe notpuede que sí, puede que no, a lo mejor sí, a lo mejor no
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

maybe

[ˈmeɪbi] advpeut-être
a bit boring, maybe → un peu ennuyeux peut-être
Maybe she's at home → Elle est peut-être chez elle., Peut-être qu'elle est chez elle.
Maybe he'll change his mind → Il va peut-être changer d'avis., Peut-être qu'il va changer d'avis.
Maybe she is in love with him → Elle est peut-être amoureuse de lui., Peut-être qu'elle est amoureuse de lui.
maybe he'll ... → il va peut-être ..., peut-être qu'il ...
maybe not → peut-être pas
maybe so → peut-êtreMay Day npremier Mai m, fête f du Travail
on May Day → le premier mai
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

maybe

advvielleicht, kann sein(, dass …); that’s as maybekann schon sein; maybe, maybe notvielleicht, vielleicht auch nicht
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

maybe

[ˈmeɪbiː] advforse, può darsi
maybe not → forse no, può darsi di no
maybe tomorrow → forse or magari domani
maybe he'll come → può darsi che venga, magari or forse verrà
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

maybe

(ˈmeibiː) adverb
it is possible (that); perhaps. Maybe he'll come, and maybe he won't.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

maybe

رُبَّـمَا možná måske vielleicht ίσως quizá ehkä peut-être možda forse もしかしたら 아마 misschien kanskje być może talvez возможно kanske อาจจะ belki có thể 大概
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

maybe

adv. quizás, tal vez.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
References in classic literature ?
It is a great sickness; maybe she will die, that is why the doctor looks so hard.
One man play yellow markers - maybe one yellow marker worth one thousand dollars, maybe two thousand dollars.
For a maid abides in this wood, maybe it is she whom you seek.
"Maybe she is all these, though no one only, and more besides," I answered.
"Maybe Miss Ettie has told you how it is with us?" said Baldwin.
"Maybe he didn't understand--but that was only half an introduction.
He got out his worldly wealth and examined it -- bits of toys, marbles, and trash; enough to buy an exchange of WORK, maybe, but not half enough to buy so much as half an hour of pure freedom.
And I'll not deny neither but what some of my people was shook--maybe all was shook; maybe I was shook myself; maybe that's why I'm here for terms.
Maybe it was because he drove a horse that attracted me.
I need a vacation, and maybe a good baseball game "
He said he reckoned a body could reform the old man with a shotgun, maybe, but he didn't know no other way.
"I don't know; maybe he is, but 'pears to me he's just letting on."