whom pronoun - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced American Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com

Definition of whom pronoun from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

whom

pronoun

NAmE//hum//

(formal)

used instead of “who” as the object of a verb or preposition Whom did they invite? To whom should I write? The author whom you criticized in your review has written a reply. Her mother, in whom she confided, said she would support her unconditionally.

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GrammarwhomWhom is not always used in spoken English. Who is often used as the object pronoun, especially in questions:Who did you invite to the party?Whom is used as the pronoun after prepositions in written English and formal spoken English:To whom should I address the letter? He asked me with whom I had discussed it.In spoken English, it is more accepted to use who and put the preposition at the end of the sentence:Who should I address the letter to? He asked me who I had discussed it with.In defining relative clauses, the object pronoun whom is often replaced in speaking or informal writing with who, or you might leave out the pronoun completely:The family (who/that/whom) I met at the airport were very kind.In nondefining relative clauses, whom is used and the pronoun cannot be left out:Our doctor, whom we all liked very much, retired last week.In speaking and informal writing, who is sometimes used instead.See whom in the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

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