what with

what with
preposition
Etymology: what (II)

what with summertime it was still broad daylight when, around half past eight, I entered the big living room — Valentine Williams

* * *

what with
Because of, considering
• • •
Main Entry:what

* * *

what with spoken phrase
used when you are giving a number of reasons for a particular situation or problem

The police are having a difficult time, what with all the drugs and violence on our streets.

Thesaurus: ways of explaining or clarifyinghyponym to make something easier to understandsynonym
Main entry: what

* * *

because of (used usually to introduce several causes of something)

what with the drought and the neglect, the garden is in a sad condition

* * *

what with
— used to introduce the part of a sentence that indicates the cause of something

What with the freezing temperatures, they nearly died.

What with school and sports, she's always busy.

Things have been difficult for him lately, what with his wife's illness and all.

• • •
Main Entry:what
————————
what with — see what, 3
• • •
Main Entry:with

Useful english dictionary. 2012.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат
Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • what with — ► what with because of. Main Entry: ↑what …   English terms dictionary

  • what with — {prep.} Because; as a result of. * /I couldn t visit you, what with the snowstorm and the cold I had./ * /What with dishes to wash and children to put to bed, mother was late to the meeting./ Compare: ON ACCOUNT OF …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • what with — {prep.} Because; as a result of. * /I couldn t visit you, what with the snowstorm and the cold I had./ * /What with dishes to wash and children to put to bed, mother was late to the meeting./ Compare: ON ACCOUNT OF …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • what\ with — prep. Because; as a result of. I couldn t visit you, what with the snowstorm and the cold I had. What with dishes to wash and children to put to bed, mother was late to the meeting. Compare: on account of …   Словарь американских идиом

  • what with — adverb Owing to; because of; as a result of. She was sleeping very badly these days, what with the new baby and all the activity surrounding him …   Wiktionary

  • what with — because, as a result of We wanted to go away for a holiday but what with the move to a new building and the expansion we are too busy to go anywhere …   Idioms and examples

  • what with — spoken used when you are giving a number of reasons for a particular situation or problem The police are having a difficult time, what with all the drugs and violence on our streets …   English dictionary

  • what with one thing and another — phrase used for referring to many different events in a way that is not specific You use this expression in order to explain why something did or did not happen What with one thing and another, I didn’t get home until after midnight. Thesaurus:… …   Useful english dictionary

  • (what) with one thing and another — (what) with ˌone thing and aˈnother idiom (informal) because you have been busy with various problems, events or things you had to do • I completely forgot her birthday, what with one thing and another. Main entry: ↑thingidiom …   Useful english dictionary

  • what with something — what with sth idiom used to list the various reasons for sth • What with the cold weather and my bad leg, I haven t been out for weeks. Main entry: ↑whatidiom …   Useful english dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”