'May be' definitions:
Definition of 'May be'
From: GCIDE
- May \May\ (m[=a]), v. [imp. Might (m[imac]t)] [AS. pres. maeg I am able, pret. meahte, mihte; akin to D. mogen, G. m["o]gen, OHG. mugan, magan, Icel. mega, Goth. magan, Russ. moche. [root]103. Cf. Dismay, Main strength, Might. The old imp. mought is obsolete, except as a provincial word.] An auxiliary verb qualifying the meaning of another verb, by expressing: (a) Ability, competency, or possibility; -- now oftener expressed by can. [1913 Webster]
- How may a man, said he, with idle speech, Be won to spoil the castle of his health! --Spenser. [1913 Webster]
- For what he [the king] may do is of two kinds; what he may do as just, and what he may do as possible. --Bacon. [1913 Webster]
- For of all sad words of tongue or pen The saddest are these: "It might have been." --Whittier. [1913 Webster] (b) Liberty; permission; allowance. [1913 Webster]
- Thou mayst be no longer steward. --Luke xvi. 2. [1913 Webster] (c) Contingency or liability; possibility or probability. [1913 Webster]
- Though what he learns he speaks, and may advance Some general maxims, or be right by chance. --Pope. [1913 Webster] (d) Modesty, courtesy, or concession, or a desire to soften a question or remark. [1913 Webster]
- How old may Phillis be, you ask. --Prior. [1913 Webster] (e) Desire or wish, as in prayer, imprecation, benediction, and the like. "May you live happily." --Dryden. [1913 Webster]
- May be, & It may be, are used as equivalent to possibly, perhaps, maybe, by chance, peradventure. See 1st Maybe. [1913 Webster]
Words containing 'May be'
- It may be,
- May,
- Mayes,
- Maying,
- mays,
- Cape May,
- Italian may,
- May Creek,
- May Day,
- May apple,
- May beetle,
- May bug,
- May curlew,
- May dew,
- May flower,
- May fly,
- May fowl,
- May game,
- May lady,
- May laws,
- May lily,
- May pole,
- May queen,
- May thorn,
- May whaap,
- May whaup,
- May, OK,
- Mayes County,
- Mayes, OK,
- Mays Chapel,
- Mays Landing,
- Queen of May,
- Zea Mays,
- come what may,
- first of may,
- may 1,
- may 24,
- may blob,
- may fish,
- may wine,
- queen of the may,
- willie mays,
- 15 may organization,
- 8 may 1945,
- Cape May County,
- Cape May Point,
- Cape May, NJ,
- Devil may care,
- May Creek, WA,
- Mayes County, OK,
- Mays Chapel, MD,
- Mays Landing, NJ,
- North Cape May,
- West Cape May,
- cape may warbler,
- doris may lessing,
- louisa may alcott,
- mid-May,
- whatever may come,
- zea mays amylacea,
- zea mays everta,
- zea mays indentata,
- zea mays indurata,
- zea mays rugosa,
- Cape May County, NJ,
- Cape May Court House,
- Cape May Point, NJ,
- North Cape May, NJ,
- West Cape May, NJ,
- devil-may-care,
- gloria may josephine svensson,
- willie howard mays jr.,
- Cape May Court House, NJ