Meaning of whys and wherefores | Babel Free

Definitions

The reasons or motivations for a fact, action, or decision, especially the complete set of such reasons or motivations.

plural, plural-normally

Equivalents

Examples

“I can no more tell you the whys and wherefores of myself than I can lift myself up by the waistband and carry myself into the next county.”

“[I]f she noticed anything odd or out of place she would never rest until she had ferreted out the whys and wherefores thereof.”

“Of the hundreds of thousands who served in Vietnam, most still do not understand the whys and wherefores of our involvement.”

CEFR level