use-icon

HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY

To look up an entry in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, use the search window above. For best results, after typing in the word, click on the “Search” button instead of using the “enter” key.

Some compound words (like bus rapid transit, dog whistle, or identity theft) don’t appear on the drop-down list when you type them in the search bar. For best results with compound words, place a quotation mark before the compound word in the search window.

guide to the dictionary

use-icon

THE USAGE PANEL

The Usage Panel is a group of nearly 200 prominent scholars, creative writers, journalists, diplomats, and others in occupations requiring mastery of language. Annual surveys have gauged the acceptability of particular usages and grammatical constructions.

The Panelists

open-icon

AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY APP

The new American Heritage Dictionary app is now available for iOS and Android.

scroll-icon

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY BLOG

The articles in our blog examine new words, revised definitions, interesting images from the fifth edition, discussions of usage, and more.

100-words-icon

See word lists from the best-selling 100 Words Series!

Find out more!

open-icon

INTERESTED IN DICTIONARIES?

Check out the Dictionary Society of North America at http://www.dictionarysociety.com

how (hou)
Share:
adv.
1. In what manner or way; by what means: How does this machine work?
2. In what state or condition: How is she today?
3. To what extent, amount, or degree: How bad was it?
4. For what reason or purpose; why: How is it that he left early?
5. With what meaning: How should I take that remark?
6. By what name: How is she called?
7. By what measure; in what units: How do you sell this corn?
8. What. Usually used in requesting that something be said again: How's that again?
9. Used as an intensive: How we laughed!
conj.
1. The manner or way in which: forgot how it was done.
2. That: I told them how I had once been bitten by a snake.
3. In whatever way or manner; however: Cook it how you please.
n.
A manner or method of doing something: "The how of research is generated by the why of the world" (Frederick Turner).
Idioms:
and how Informal
Most certainly; you bet: She's a good dancer, and how!
how about
1. Used to make a suggestion or to offer something: How about a cup of tea?
2. Used to request an opinion about something considered remarkable or impressive: How about that storm last night?
how about that Informal
Used rhetorically to express surprise or wonder at or approval for something.
how come Informal
How is it that; why: How come you're so late?
how so
How is it so: You say the answer is wrong. How so?

[Middle English howe, from Old English hū; see kwo- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.