perhaps

Everyday

1. Perhaps means maybe; it is possible but not certain. tree →
2. Used to make a request or idea sound polite. tree →

In the lessons

Used in stories and talk to show something is not sure: "Perhaps it will rain." In maths and science it shows a guess or prediction, not a fact. Polite use: "Perhaps you could help me?"

Examples

• Perhaps it will snow tomorrow. tree →
• Perhaps the cat is hiding under the bed. tree →
• Perhaps you could close the window, please. tree →
• "Will you come?" "Perhaps." tree →
• Perhaps the answer is 12, but let me check. tree →
• She was perhaps the fastest runner in the school. tree →
• Perhaps we should take an umbrella. tree →
• “Perhaps he is ill,” Michael said. tree →

Note

Same meaning as "maybe" and "possibly"; "perhaps" sounds a little more formal. Usually at the start of a sentence. It never means "definitely".

In Jewish tradition

Used in stories and talk to show something is not sure: "Perhaps it will rain." In maths and science it shows a guess or prediction, not a fact. Polite use: "Perhaps you could help me?"

Examples

• The "Sepher Yetzirah," or "Book of Formation," is perhaps the oldest philosophical treatise which is yet extant in the Hebrew language. (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893) tree →
• The expression בְּלִי[]מָה beli[-]mah can be understood as either one word or two, with both readings being plausible and perhaps intended, and manuscripts commonly varying between the one- and two-word renditions. (Sefer Yetzirah, Sefaria community translation) tree →
• The conception of Creation as a network of ontological interdependencies is perhaps apparent in the ‘231 gates’ referred to above in SY 2:4; see also SY 6:2.] How did He combine them? (Sefer Yetzirah, Sefaria community translation) tree →

Note

Same meaning as "maybe" and "possibly"; "perhaps" sounds a little more formal. Usually at the start of a sentence. It never means "definitely".