may

Study(29)

/meɪ/

verb 7name 7noun 2

Collocations

ADJ.

antisocial, big, east, next, outside, soon, unnoticed, young

The next big storm may bring heavy rain to the coast this weekend.

VERB + MAY

advertising, hedges, lecture

The advertising campaign may have reached millions of people worldwide.

MAY + NOUN

athens, backe, gueneuer, money, quene, week, whomever

The queen may have decided to visit Athens next month for the peace negotiations.

PREP.

on, up, whereas

The weather may up and change suddenly during spring mornings.

ADV.

instead

Instead of going to the gym, I may just go for a walk today.

Definitions

verb

To be strong; to have power (over).

To be able; can.

But many times[…]we give way to passions we may resist and will not.

To be able to go.

O weary night, O long and tedious night, Abate thy houres, shine comforts from the East, That I may backe to Athens by day-light […].

To have permission to, be allowed. Used in granting permission and in questions to make polite requests.

you may smoke outside

may I sit there?

Granting the admissibility of a supposition, in a way that can be semantically either subjunctive or indicative.

he may be lying

Schrödinger's cat may or may not be in the box.

noun

The hawthorn bush or its blossoms.

The fire from Lindfield was coming down the grassy hillside to the right between the hedges of may.

verb

To gather may, or flowers in general.

Soo it befelle in the moneth of May / quene Gueneuer called vnto her knyȝtes of the table round / and she gafe them warnynge that erly vpon the morowe she wold ryde on mayeng in to woodes & feldes besyde westmynstre. "So it befell in the month of May, Queen Guenever called unto her knights of the Table Round; and she gave them warning that early upon the morrow she would ride a-Maying into woods and fields beside Westminster."

In valleys green and still / Where lovers wander maying

To celebrate May Day.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

noun — thorny Eurasian shrub of small tree having dense clusters of

whitethorn

Antonyms

Idioms & Phrases

your mileage may vary

It may work differently in your situation, or be different in your experience.

The battery lasts a day in my phone, but your mileage may vary.

to whom it may concern

Used as a formal salutation in a letter when the writer does not know the recipient or the identity of the recipient.

come what may

In spite of anything that might happen; whatever may occur.

Come what come may, / Time, and the Houre, runs through the rougheſt Day.

April showers bring May flowers

The month of April, traditionally a rainy period, gives way to May, when flowers will bloom because of the water provided to them by the April rains.

be that as it may

Even if that is the case; whether that is true or not; nevertheless.

Be that as it may, the duty of all communicants lies plain.

Example Bank

But many times[…]we give way to passions we may resist and will not.

Wiktionary

O weary night, O long and tedious night, Abate thy houres, shine comforts from the East, That I may backe to Athens by day-light […].

Wiktionary

you may smoke outside

Wiktionary

The fire from Lindfield was coming down the grassy hillside to the right between the hedges of may.

Wiktionary

In valleys green and still / Where lovers wander maying

Wiktionary

Usage Notes

i Register

In some senses, may is marked as obsolete, archaic, poetic. Watch for register when choosing this word.

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