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may
1[mey]
auxiliary verb
present-singular-1st-person
may ,second-person
may ,second-person
mayest, mayst ,third-person
may ,present-plural
may ,past
might .(used to express possibility).
It may rain.
(used to express opportunity or permission).
You may enter.
(used to express contingency, especially in clauses indicating condition, concession, purpose, result, etc.).
I may be wrong but I think you would be wise to go. Times may change but human nature stays the same.
(used to express wish or prayer).
May you live to an old age.
Archaic.(used to express ability or power.)
may
2[mey]
noun
a maiden.
May
3[mey]
noun
the fifth month of the year, containing 31 days.
the early part of one's life, especially the prime.
a young woman in her May.
the festivities of May Day.
(lowercase)the hawthorn.
a female given name.
Cape, a cape at the SE tip of New Jersey, on Delaware Bay.
verb (used without object)
(lowercase)to gather flowers in the spring.
when we were maying.
may
1/ ɪ /
verb
to indicate that permission is requested by or granted to someone
he may go to the park tomorrow if he behaves himself
(often foll by well) to indicate possibility
the rope may break
he may well be a spy
to indicate ability or capacity, esp in questions
may I help you?
to express a strong wish
long may she reign
to indicate result or purpose: used only in clauses introduced by that or so that
he writes so that the average reader may understand
another word for might 1
to express courtesy in a question
whose child may this little girl be?
in spite of that: a sentence connector conceding the possible truth of a previous statement and introducing an adversative clause
be that as it may, I still think he should come
whatever happens
(foll by a clause introduced by but) that may be so
may
2/ ɪ /
noun
Also: may tree.a Brit name for hawthorn
short for may blossom
May
3/ ɪ /
noun
the fifth month of the year, consisting of 31 days
May
4/ ɪ /
noun
Robert McCredie , Baron. born 1936, Australian biologist and ecologist
may
5/ ɪ /
noun
an archaic word for maiden
Usage
Confusables Note
51Թ History and Origins
Origin of may1
Origin of may2
Origin of may3
51Թ History and Origins
Origin of may1
Origin of may2
Origin of may3
Origin of may4
Idioms and Phrases
Example Sentences
"And as parents and teachers, we may not always detect difficulties that children are having with their vision because the children have adapted and got used to that being their sight."
The statute also states that nothing in that section “may be construed to require a Member of Congress to provide prior notice of the intent to enter a facility” for the purpose of conducting oversight.
This may be the result of the smoothing, or averaging effect of looking at lots of hurricanes in the 40 years of training data.
She said she also threw herself into experiences that she may not otherwise have done so, including replacing Sorcha Eastwood as the MLA for Lagan Valley just eight months after her diagnosis.
The proposal to write a new constitution may have been triggered by an attempted coup by senior military officers in 2013.
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When To Use
May and might can both be used as auxiliary verbs (helping verbs) that express possibility, as in We may/might have some left—let me check.Traditionally, might is considered a weaker form of may—meaning that it expresses a lower degree of possibility that something will happen. Some people might intend to use the two words this way, but in practical terms they are often interchangeable when used in this sense—they usually mean just about the same thing.May and might can also both be used in the context of permission, often as what’s thought to be a more polite substitute for can, as in May/Might I use your restroom? In responses to such questions, it’s usually may that’s used, as in Yes, you may. Saying might in such responses is often meant to make fun of such a use of the word in a way that’s sarcastic or that introduces a condition, usually one that’s not serious, as in Yes, you might, if you knew the password.May is sometimes used to express a wish, as in May you have success.Might is sometimes used to express advisability, as in You might ask before you barge in, you know.In its auxiliary verb sense, might can also be used as the past tense of may. It may seem strange to express possibility in the past tense (now that it is known whether or not something happened), but there are plenty of cases in which it makes sense to do it, such as when it’s still uncertain whether or not something could have happened, as in He might have had a chance to become CEO, but he decided to retire early or She might have come if you had actually invited her. Of course, the word may can also be used in the same way to indicate past tense (She may have come if you had actually invited her).Here’s an example of may and might used correctly in a sentence.Example: We might have been able to go today if it hadn’t rained, but in any case we may try to go again tomorrow.Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between may and might.
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