"might as well" meaning in All languages combined

See might as well on Wiktionary

Verb [English]

IPA: /maɪt æzˈwɛl/, /maɪzˈwɛl/ Audio: En-au-might as well.ogg [Australia]
Head templates: {{head|en|verb}} might as well
  1. (idiomatic) Used to express somewhat reluctant assent, saying that if one situation exists (or because it does exist), another event or situation that would otherwise be undesirable, difficult, impossible, etc., becomes more feasible or reasonable, or would not make a difference. Tags: idiomatic Translations (Translations): 索性 (english: sok³ sing³) (Chinese Cantonese), 乾脆 (Chinese Mandarin), 干脆 (gāncuì) (Chinese Mandarin), ბარემ (barem) (Georgian), równie dobrze móc (Polish), lika gärna kunna (Swedish)
    Sense id: en-might_as_well-en-verb-pUReX6sY Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 78 22 Disambiguation of 'Translations': 88 12
  2. (idiomatic) Used to liken one situation to another, typically saying that the existence of one situation is equivalent to the existence of another, usually more extreme, situation. Tags: idiomatic
    Sense id: en-might_as_well-en-verb-sAXlKmQF
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Synonyms: may as well, as well, minus well (alt: eggcorn) [proscribed] Related terms: while one is at it

Download JSON data for might as well meaning in All languages combined (4.7kB)

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      "expansion": "might as well",
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  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "_dis1": "51 49",
      "word": "while one is at it"
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  "senses": [
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          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
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      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "You arrived too early, but since you're here, you might as well come in.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "Macarons are very difficult to make, so you might as well make plentiful if you do decide to make any.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1926, Dorothy Parker, “Résumé,”, in Enough Rope",
          "text": "Razors pain you; / Rivers are damp; / Acids stain you; / And drugs cause cramp. / Guns aren’t lawful; / Nooses give; / Gas smells awful; / You might as well live.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2004, Melvin Burgess, Doing It",
          "text": "Oh, and while you're here would you like me to look at your fanny? And the girl, says, Yeah, sure, might as well, and off they go.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Used to express somewhat reluctant assent, saying that if one situation exists (or because it does exist), another event or situation that would otherwise be undesirable, difficult, impossible, etc., becomes more feasible or reasonable, or would not make a difference."
      ],
      "id": "en-might_as_well-en-verb-pUReX6sY",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) Used to express somewhat reluctant assent, saying that if one situation exists (or because it does exist), another event or situation that would otherwise be undesirable, difficult, impossible, etc., becomes more feasible or reasonable, or would not make a difference."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "88 12",
          "code": "yue",
          "english": "sok³ sing³",
          "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "索性"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "88 12",
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "乾脆"
        },
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          "_dis1": "88 12",
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "gāncuì",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "干脆"
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          "_dis1": "88 12",
          "code": "ka",
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          "roman": "barem",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "ბარემ"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "88 12",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "równie dobrze móc"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "88 12",
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "lika gärna kunna"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "You're going to tell her what I said about her? You might as well shoot me!",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "What a waste of time this has been. We might as well have stayed at home.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1898, Alfred Russel Wallace, Vaccination a Delusion",
          "text": "Mr. A. Wheeler, and Mr. William Tebb, who, though all were examined and cross-examined on the minutest details, might as well never have appeared so far as any notice in the Final Report is concerned.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1903, Kate Douglas Wiggin, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm",
          "text": "\"If she makes as much work after she comes as she has before, we might as well give up hope of ever gettin' any rest,\" sighed Miranda as she hung the dish towels on the barberry bushes at the side door.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1962, Carole King, Gerry Goffin, It Might as Well Rain Until September",
          "text": "As far as I'm concerned each day's a rainy day\nSo it might as well rain until September",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2006, L.A. Bank, The Forsaken",
          "text": "Her words trapped him in the bedroom; he might as well have been hanging on the Chairman's torture wall getting his guts ripped out.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Used to liken one situation to another, typically saying that the existence of one situation is equivalent to the existence of another, usually more extreme, situation."
      ],
      "id": "en-might_as_well-en-verb-sAXlKmQF",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) Used to liken one situation to another, typically saying that the existence of one situation is equivalent to the existence of another, usually more extreme, situation."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/maɪt æzˈwɛl/"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/maɪzˈwɛl/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "En-au-might as well.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/b/bd/En-au-might_as_well.ogg/En-au-might_as_well.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/En-au-might_as_well.ogg",
      "tags": [
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      "text": "Audio (AU)"
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  "synonyms": [
    {
      "_dis1": "51 49",
      "word": "may as well"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "51 49",
      "word": "as well"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "51 49",
      "alt": "eggcorn",
      "tags": [
        "proscribed"
      ],
      "word": "minus well"
    }
  ],
  "word": "might as well"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English terms with IPA pronunciation",
    "English terms with audio links",
    "English verbs",
    "Translation table header lacks gloss"
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  "head_templates": [
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      "expansion": "might as well",
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      "word": "while one is at it"
    }
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        "English terms with quotations",
        "English terms with usage examples",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
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        {
          "text": "You arrived too early, but since you're here, you might as well come in.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "Macarons are very difficult to make, so you might as well make plentiful if you do decide to make any.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1926, Dorothy Parker, “Résumé,”, in Enough Rope",
          "text": "Razors pain you; / Rivers are damp; / Acids stain you; / And drugs cause cramp. / Guns aren’t lawful; / Nooses give; / Gas smells awful; / You might as well live.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2004, Melvin Burgess, Doing It",
          "text": "Oh, and while you're here would you like me to look at your fanny? And the girl, says, Yeah, sure, might as well, and off they go.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Used to express somewhat reluctant assent, saying that if one situation exists (or because it does exist), another event or situation that would otherwise be undesirable, difficult, impossible, etc., becomes more feasible or reasonable, or would not make a difference."
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) Used to express somewhat reluctant assent, saying that if one situation exists (or because it does exist), another event or situation that would otherwise be undesirable, difficult, impossible, etc., becomes more feasible or reasonable, or would not make a difference."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
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        "English terms with quotations",
        "English terms with usage examples",
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        {
          "text": "You're going to tell her what I said about her? You might as well shoot me!",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "What a waste of time this has been. We might as well have stayed at home.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1898, Alfred Russel Wallace, Vaccination a Delusion",
          "text": "Mr. A. Wheeler, and Mr. William Tebb, who, though all were examined and cross-examined on the minutest details, might as well never have appeared so far as any notice in the Final Report is concerned.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1903, Kate Douglas Wiggin, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm",
          "text": "\"If she makes as much work after she comes as she has before, we might as well give up hope of ever gettin' any rest,\" sighed Miranda as she hung the dish towels on the barberry bushes at the side door.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1962, Carole King, Gerry Goffin, It Might as Well Rain Until September",
          "text": "As far as I'm concerned each day's a rainy day\nSo it might as well rain until September",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2006, L.A. Bank, The Forsaken",
          "text": "Her words trapped him in the bedroom; he might as well have been hanging on the Chairman's torture wall getting his guts ripped out.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Used to liken one situation to another, typically saying that the existence of one situation is equivalent to the existence of another, usually more extreme, situation."
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) Used to liken one situation to another, typically saying that the existence of one situation is equivalent to the existence of another, usually more extreme, situation."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
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    {
      "ipa": "/maɪt æzˈwɛl/"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/maɪzˈwɛl/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "En-au-might as well.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/b/bd/En-au-might_as_well.ogg/En-au-might_as_well.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/En-au-might_as_well.ogg",
      "tags": [
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  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "may as well"
    },
    {
      "word": "as well"
    },
    {
      "alt": "eggcorn",
      "tags": [
        "proscribed"
      ],
      "word": "minus well"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "yue",
      "english": "sok³ sing³",
      "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "word": "索性"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "word": "乾脆"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "gāncuì",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "word": "干脆"
    },
    {
      "code": "ka",
      "lang": "Georgian",
      "roman": "barem",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "word": "ბარემ"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "word": "równie dobrze móc"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "word": "lika gärna kunna"
    }
  ],
  "word": "might as well"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable All languages combined dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-03 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-05-02 using wiktextract (f4fd8c9 and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.