"might as well" meaning in English

See might as well in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Verb

IPA: /maɪt æzˈwɛl/, /maɪzˈwɛl/ Audio: En-au-might as well.ogg
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, Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries, Terms with Cantonese translations, Terms with Georgian translations, Terms with Mandarin translations, Terms with Polish translations, Terms with Swedish translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 79 21 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 74 26 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 83 17 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 88 12 Disambiguation of Terms with Cantonese translations: 74 26 Disambiguation of Terms with Georgian translations: 72 28 Disambiguation of Terms with Mandarin translations: 69 31 Disambiguation of Terms with Polish translations: 70 30 Disambiguation of Terms with Swedish translations: 74 26 Disambiguation of 'Translations': 90 10
  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
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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": "quote"
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        {
          "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": "quote"
        }
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        "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."
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      "id": "en-might_as_well-en-verb-pUReX6sY",
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        "(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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      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "90 10",
          "code": "yue",
          "english": "sok³ sing³",
          "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "索性"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "90 10",
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "乾脆"
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          "_dis1": "90 10",
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "gāncuì",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "干脆"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "90 10",
          "code": "ka",
          "lang": "Georgian",
          "roman": "barem",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "ბარემ"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "90 10",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "równie dobrze móc"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "90 10",
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "lika gärna kunna"
        }
      ]
    },
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      "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": "quote"
        },
        {
          "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": "quote"
        },
        {
          "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": "quote"
        },
        {
          "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": "quote"
        }
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        "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."
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        "(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."
      ],
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        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
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      "ipa": "/maɪt æzˈwɛl/"
    },
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      "ipa": "/maɪzˈwɛl/"
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      "_dis1": "51 49",
      "word": "may as well"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "51 49",
      "word": "as well"
    },
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      "_dis1": "51 49",
      "alt": "eggcorn",
      "tags": [
        "proscribed"
      ],
      "word": "minus well"
    }
  ],
  "word": "might as well"
}
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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"
        },
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          "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": "quote"
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        {
          "ref": "2004, Melvin Burgess, Doing It:",
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        }
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        "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."
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        "(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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          "text": "You're going to tell her what I said about her? You might as well shoot me!",
          "type": "example"
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        {
          "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": "quote"
        },
        {
          "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": "quote"
        },
        {
          "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": "quote"
        },
        {
          "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": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "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."
      ],
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        "(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/"
    },
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    {
      "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"
}

Download raw JSONL data for might as well meaning in English (4.9kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-11-06 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-10-02 using wiktextract (fbeafe8 and 7f03c9b). 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.