for what

adverb
UK: /fɔː wɒt/
US: /fɔːr wʌt/

  1. Asking the reason or purpose of something; why.

    1. You need money, but for what? [ ] [ ]
    2. I don't know for what reason he did this, but I am very disappointed. [ ] [ ]

Synonyms

why
for what idiom

  1. Used to question the value or benefit of something.

    1. I did it, but for what? [ ] [ ]
    2. We suffered a lot, but for what purpose, for what reason did all this pain occur? [ ] [ ]
for what conjunction

  1. Introducing the reason or purpose something is done. (Archaic Usage)

    1. I study hard for what it's worth. [ ] [ ]
    2. We will strive for perfection, for what it may be worth in the end. [ ] [ ]

Frequently Asked Questions

The phonetic transcription of "for what" is /fɔː wɒt/ in British English and /fɔːr wʌt/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "for what": why.

Example usage of "for what": "You need money, but for what?". More examples on the page.