Meaning

3 senses
  1. (not comparable)Perhaps, possibly.

    A small extra effort now can maybe save you much work later.

    Maybe I was imagining it, but I could swear that the dog understood what I was saying.

  2. (not comparable)Perhaps that is true (expressing no commitment to a decision or a neutral viewpoint to a statement).

  3. (UK, not comparable)Certainly.

    Maybe not the best idea.

    vielleicht, möglicherweise, womöglich

    мо́жет бытьmóžet bytʹ, возмо́жноvozmóžno, наве́рноеnavérnoje

    ма́бутьmábutʹ, мо́же бу́тиmóže búty, можли́воmožlývo

More definitions
  • by chance

Examples

3404 sentences
  1. I think maybe we've been too aggressive.

    Я думаю, що ми, можливо, були занадто агресивні.

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  2. Maybe I shouldn't have done that.

    Мабуть мені не треба було цього робити.

    ruВозможно, мне не следовало этого делать.

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  3. Maybe Tom has some candy left.

    Можливо, у Тома є ще кілька цукерок.

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  4. Maybe I just need some sleep.

    Можливо, мені просто потрібно виспатися.

    ruВозможно, мне лишь надо немного поспать.

    deVielleicht brauche ich nur etwas Schlaf.

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  5. Maybe I should talk to Tom.

    Може бути, мені слід поговорити з Томом.

    ruВозможно, мне следует поговорить с Томом.

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Translations

9 languages
Українська
By meaning 1
indicating a lack of certainty:
Русский
By meaning 1
indicating a lack of certainty:
Deutsch
By meaning 2
indicating a lack of certainty:
as a pro-sentence:

Origin

From an ellipsis of Middle English it may be, equivalent to may + be. Compare mayhap.

From an ellipsis of Middle English it may be, equivalent to may + be. Compare mayhap.

Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Synonyms

9 synonyms
as a pro-sentence:could bemight bethat’s possible

Word family

4 related words

Collocations

8 patterns
  • thought that maybe
  • think that maybe
  • maybe this is
  • maybe the only
  • maybe someone else
  • maybe someone
  • maybe someday
  • maybe now is

See also

neighbours in the dictionary
maybe — meaning, examples, forms, synonyms | Krumeto