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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

come what may en · ADV

Pronunciation

Meanings

  1. (idiomatic, not-comparable) In spite of anything that might happen; whatever may occur.
    • He swore that, come what may, he'd never let her out of his sight again.
    • [W]e are here of a set purpose and we will go forward with it, come what may. 1905–1906, Arthur Conan Doyle, chapter 21, in Sir Nigel, London: Smith, Elder & Co., […], published January 1906, →OCLC:
    • Still, now the prime minister remains "on message," reiterating that the election will be held in January, come what may. 2004 September 23, Tony Karon, “Allawi Rides to Bush's Rescue”, in Time:
    • May it be, come what may, that I rest all my days in the goodness of Jesus. 2018, Fiona Aghajanian, Harrison Druery, Michael Farren, Jaywan Maxwell, Jonny Robinson, Rich Thompson, “The Goodness of Jesus”, in Yet Not I:
    • If you vant a more polished sort o' feller, vell and good, have him; but vages or no vages, notice or no notice, board or no board, lodgin' or no lodgin', Sam Veller, as you took from the old inn in the Borough, sticks by you, come what may. 1836 March – 1837 October, Charles Dickens, chapter 56, in The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published 1837, →OCLC:
    • Come what come may, / Time, and the Houre, runs through the rougheſt Day. c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii], page 133:
    • Before I first saw you / Each day was just another day / Night the lonely interlude / Just came, then blew away / You know girl / Everything was come what may until you fell in my life 1981, Quincy Jones, “Ai No Corrida”, in The Dude:

Deriveds

hold come what may

Relateds

come hell or high water · be that as it may · no matter what

Synonyms

regardless · anyway · no matter what

Translations (30)

cs ať se děje co se děje (idiomatic) · it succeda quel che succeda (idiomatic) · fr quoiqu'il arrive (idiomatic) · es ocurra lo que ocurra (idiomatic) · es pase lo que pase (idiomatic) · bg във всеки случай (idiomatic) · eu datorrena datorrela (idiomatic) · nl wat er ook gebeurt (idiomatic) · tl bahalà na (idiomatic) · fi kävi miten kävi (idiomatic) · hu bármi történjék is (idiomatic) · ca passi el que haurà de passar (idiomatic) · ru будь что бу́дет (idiomatic) · es venga lo que venga (idiomatic) · pl niech się dzieje, co chce (idiomatic) · ar مهما حصل (idiomatic) · cmn 不管怎樣 /不管怎样 (idiomatic) · lad venga lo ke venga (idiomatic) · fr advienne que pourra (idiomatic) · hu akárhogy is lesz (idiomatic) · cs buď jak buď (idiomatic) · de komme, was da wolle (idiomatic) · mkh-mvi lo gì sự ấy (idiomatic) · hu lesz, ami lesz (idiomatic) · de was auch passiert (idiomatic) · ca vingui el que haurà de venir (idiomatic) · de komme was wolle (idiomatic) · pt aconteça o que acontecer (idiomatic) · cmn 無論如何 /无论如何 (idiomatic) · lad pase lo ke pase (idiomatic)