[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/maybe/)

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# maybe

adverb (maybe); noun (a maybe, maybes — informal)

«maybe» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. Maybe means perhaps: it might be true or might not, and you are not sure. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/maybe/#m1)
2. Maybe makes a polite suggestion or a soft answer: «Maybe we could share.» [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/maybe/#m2)
3. As a noun, a maybe is an answer that is neither yes nor no. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/maybe/#m3)

### In the lessons

a word of the story only; sometimes it introduces a guess to check (guess and check in maths), not a given fact; in science it marks an idea still to be tested; in everyday life it softens a request or a reply; in stories it shows a character is not sure; phrases «maybe not», «maybe later», «maybe so»

### Examples

- Maybe he has 20 marbles. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/maybe/#x1)
- Maybe it will rain, so take your umbrella. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/maybe/#x2)
- Is it maybe 5 or 6? Check both. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/maybe/#x3)
- Maybe we could play tag after lunch. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/maybe/#x4)
- "Can we get a puppy?" "Maybe, we'll see." [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/maybe/#x5)
- Maybe the plant needs more light, so let's test it. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/maybe/#x6)
- Maybe the dragon was not asleep after all. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/maybe/#x7)
- Her answer was a maybe, not a yes. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/maybe/#x8)
- "Maybe you'd win," said the bocough. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/maybe/#x9)

### Note

No clue; a guess is not a given fact. One word «maybe» (adverb, = perhaps) versus two words «may be» (verb): «Maybe it is late» = «It may be late». Trap: do not use a «maybe» sentence as true data in a problem; a «maybe» from a grown-up is not a yes.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «maybe» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/maybe/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«maybe» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/maybe.html) on Mova free.