maybe

See also: may be

English

Alternative forms

may-be (obsolete)
mebbe (dialectal)

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

(UK, US) enPR: mā'bē, IPA^(key): /ˈmeɪbi/, [ˈmeɪ̯bi]
Audio (US) (file)
Audio (UK) (file)
Rhymes: -eɪbi

Adverb

maybe (not comparable)

Modifies a verb, indicating a lack of certainty.
(as a pro-sentence) Perhaps that is true (expressing no commitment to a decision or a neutral viewpoint to a statement).

Usage notes

Do not confuse maybe with the verb construction may be: "Maybe that's true", but "That may be true".

Synonyms

(perhaps): mayhaps, peradventure, perhaps, possibly
(as a pro-sentence): could be, mayhaps, might be, perhaps, possibly, that’s possible

Derived terms

and I don't mean maybe

Translations

indicating a lack of certainty

Albanian: ndoshta (sq)
Alviri-Vidari: شاید‎‎ (šāyed)
Arabic: رُبَّمَا‎‎ (rubbamā), مِن اَلْمُمْكِن‎‎ (min al-mumkin), لَعَلَّ‎‎ (laʿalla)
Egyptian Arabic: يمكن‎‎ (yimkin)

Hijazi Arabic: يمكن‎‎ (yimkin), بلكن‎‎ (balkin)
Armenian: միգուցե (hy) (migucʿe)
Asturian: quiciabes, quiciás
Bashkir: бәлки (bälki), ихтимал (ixtimal)
Basque: naski
Belarusian: ма́быць (mábycʹ), мо (mo) (informal)
Bulgarian: може би (može bi)
Catalan: potser (ca)
Chechen: хила тарло (χila tarlo)
Cherokee: ᎠᏎᏱᎩ (aseyigi)
Chinese:
Cantonese: 或者 (waakjé), 有可能 (yáu hónàng)

Mandarin: 也許 (zh), 也许 (zh) (yěxǔ), 或許 (zh), 或许 (zh) (huòxǔ), 或是 (zh) (huòshì), 可能 (zh) (kěnéng)
Cornish: martesen
Czech: asi (cs), možná (cs)
Danish: måske (da)
Dutch: misschien (nl), wellicht (nl), mogelijk (nl), mogelijkerwijs (nl)
Esperanto: eble
Estonian: võib-olla (et), ehk (et)
Faroese: kanska
Finnish: ehkä (fi), jospa (fi)
French: peut-être (fr), peut-être que + indicative, il se peut que + subjunctive
Galician: quizás, tal vez
Gallo: ventieil'
Georgian: შესაძლებელია (šesaʒlebelia), შესაძლოა (šesaʒloa)
German: vielleicht (de)
Greek: ίσως (el) (ísos)
Hebrew: אולי‎‎ (he) (ulai), יתכן‎‎ (yitakhen)
Hindi: शायद (hi) (śāyad)
Hungarian: talán (hu)
Icelandic: kannski (is), kannske (is), máske, máski, ef til vill
Ido: forsan (io)
Indonesian: barangkali (id)
Irish: is dócha, b'fhéidir
Italian: forse (it), magari (it), chissà (it)
Japanese: 多分 (たぶん, tábun), 若しや (もしや, moshiya), (...) かもしれない (ja) (kamo shirenai), (...) でしょう (deshō)

Khmer: ប្រហែល (km) (bprə-hail)
Korean: 아마 (ko) (ama), 아마도 (ko) (amado), 어쩌면 (ko) (eojjeomyeon)
Kurdish:
Sorani: ڕه‌نگه‌‎‎, له‌وانه‌یه‌‎‎
Lao: ບາງທີ (bāng thī), ອາດຈະ (’āt cha)
Latin: fortasse
Latvian: varbūt
Lithuanian: gal (lt)
Low German: villicht (nds)
Macedonian: можеби (možebi)
Malay: mungkin, barangkali
Maltese: forsi
Maori: āwhai (before a verb or adjective), pea (after a verb or adjective)
Mongolian: магадгүй (mn) (magadgüj)
Navajo: daatsʼí
North Frisian: flicht
Norwegian: kanskje (no)
Norwegian Nynorsk: kanskje
Ojibwe: iindog
Old English: weald þēah, wēnunga
Persian: شاید‎‎ (fa) (šâyad)
Polish: może (pl)
Portuguese: talvez (pt)
Romanian: poate
Russian: мо́жет быть (ru) (móžet bytʹ), возмо́жно (ru) (vozmóžno)
Scots: mibbe
Scottish Gaelic: 's dòcha, 's mathaid
Slovak: možno, azda (sk), vari
Slovene: mogóče (sl), mordà (sl)
Spanish: quizá (es), quizás (es), tal vez (es), acaso (es), (Argentina) capaz (es), (Colombia) de pronto
Swedish: kanske (sv), möjligen (sv), måhända (sv)
Tagalog: baka (tl)
Thai: คงจะ (kong-jà)
Turkish: olabilir (tr), belki (tr)
Vietnamese: có lẽ (vi)
Walloon: motoit (wa), kécfeye (wa), putete (wa)
Welsh: dichon, efallai (cy), ella
Yiddish: אפֿשר‎‎ (efsher)
Zazaki: belki, qay

as a pro-sentence

Arabic: رُبَّمَا‎‎ (rubbamā), مِن اَلْمُمْكِن‎‎ (min al-mumkin)
Armenian: միգուցե (hy) (migucʿe)
Bashkir: бәлки (bälki), ихтимал (ixtimal)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 也許 (zh), 也许 (zh) (yěxǔ), 或許 (zh), 或许 (zh) (huòxǔ), 或是 (zh) (huòshì), 可能 (zh) (kěnéng)
Czech: možná (cs)
Danish: måske (da)
Dutch: misschien (nl), het zou kunnen, mogelijk (nl)
Faroese: kanska
Finnish: voi olla
French: peut-être (fr), c'est possible
Gallo: ventieil'
German: vielleicht (de), mag sein (de)
Hebrew: אולי‎‎ (he) (ulai)

Icelandic: kannski (is), kannske (is), máske, máski, ef til vill
Irish: b'fhéidir
Italian: forse (it), può essere
Japanese: 多分 (たぶん, tábun)
Norwegian: kan hende, kanskje det
Portuguese: é possível, pode ser, talvez (pt)
Russian: мо́жет быть (ru) (móžet bytʹ), возмо́жно (ru) (vozmóžno)
Scottish Gaelic: 's dòcha, 's mathaid
Serbo-Croatian: možda (sh)
Roman: mȍgūće (sh)
Slovak: možno
Slovene: mogóče (sl)
Spanish: es posible
Swedish: kanske (sv), möjligen (sv) (if expressing doubts)

Adjective

maybe (comparative more maybe, superlative most maybe)

Possible; uncertain.
Then add those may-be years thou hast to live ― Dryden.

Noun

maybe (plural maybes)

(informal) Something that is possibly true.
(informal) An answer that shows neither agreement nor disagreement.
The results of the poll were inconclusive. We got two yeses, three nos, and four maybes.
(informal) A future event that may or may not happen.
About your raise: it's a big maybe.

Synonyms

perhaps

Derived terms

definite maybe

Anagrams

Mabey, abyme, beamy, embay

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