maybe
adverb
- mayhap, perhaps, possibly
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈmeɪ.bi/ / [ˈmeɪ̯.bi] / /mɛˈbiː/
adj
Etymology: From an ellipsis of Middle English it may be, equivalent to may + be. Compare mayhap.
- Possible; uncertain.
“Then add those may-be years thou hast to live”
adv
Etymology: From an ellipsis of Middle English it may be, equivalent to may + be. Compare mayhap.
- Perhaps, possibly.
“A small extra effort now can maybe save you much work later.”
“Maybe I was imagining it, but I could swear that the dog understood what I was saying.”
- Perhaps that is true (expressing no commitment to a decision or a neutral viewpoint to a statement).
“Okay. See you later, maybe. — Maybe I’ll see you later.”
- Certainly.
“Maybe not the best idea.”
noun
Etymology: From an ellipsis of Middle English it may be, equivalent to may + be. Compare mayhap.
- Something that is possibly true.
- An answer that shows neither agreement nor disagreement.
“The results of the poll were inconclusive. We got two yeses, three nos, and four maybes.”
- A future event that may or may not happen.
“About your raise: it's a big maybe.”