Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary

1 ADJ If you describe something as wholesome , you approve of it because you think it is likely to have a positive influence on people's behaviour or mental state, especially because it does not involve anything sexually immoral. [APPROVAL ] □  …good, wholesome fun.

2 ADJ If you describe food as wholesome , you approve of it because you think it is good for your health. [APPROVAL ] □  …fresh, wholesome ingredients. □  The food is filling and wholesome.

whole|wheat /hoʊ l ^h wiːt/ also whole wheat

1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Wholewheat flour is made from the complete grain of the wheat plant, including the outer part. Wholewheat bread or pasta is made from wholewheat flour. □  …vegetables with wholewheat noodles.

2 N‑UNCOUNT Wholewheat means wholewheat bread or wholewheat flour. □  …a chicken salad sandwich on whole wheat.

who'll /huː l, huːl/ Who'll is a spoken form of 'who will' or 'who shall'.

whol|ly /hoʊ lli/ ADV [ADV adj] You use wholly to emphasize the extent or degree to which something is the case. [EMPHASIS ] □  While the two are only days apart in age they seem to belong to wholly different generations. □  For urban areas this approach was wholly inadequate.

who lly-o wned sub|si di|ary (wholly-owned subsidiaries ) N‑COUNT A wholly-owned subsidiary is a company whose shares are all owned by another company. [BUSINESS ] □  The Locomotive Construction Company Ltd is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Trust.

whom ◆◆◇ /huː m/ Whom is used in formal or written English instead of 'who' when it is the object of a verb or preposition. 1 PRON You use whom in questions when you ask about the name or identity of a person or group of people. □  'I want to send a telegram.'—'Fine, to whom?' □  Whom did he expect to answer his phone?

2 CONJ You use whom after certain words, especially verbs and adjectives, to introduce a clause where you talk about the name or identity of a person or a group of people. □  He asked whom I'd told about his having been away.

3 PRON You use whom at the beginning of a relative clause when specifying the person or group of people you are talking about or when giving more information about them. □  One writer in whom I had taken an interest was Immanuel Velikovsky.

whom|ever /huːme və ^r / CONJ Whomever is a formal word for whoever when it is the object of a verb or preposition.

whoop / ^h wuː p, [AM ] huː p/ (whoops , whooping , whooped )

1 VERB If you whoop , you shout loudly in a very happy or excited way. [WRITTEN ] □ [V ] She whoops with delight at a promise of money. ● N‑COUNT Whoop is also a noun. □  Scattered groans and whoops broke out in the crowd.

2 → see also whoops

whoo|pee / ^h wʊpiː / EXCLAM People sometimes shout ' whoopee ' when they are very happy or excited. [INFORMAL , FEELINGS ] □  I can have a lie in tomorrow. Whoopee!

whoop|ing cough /huː p I ŋ kɒf, [AM ] - kɔːf/ N‑UNCOUNT Whooping cough is a serious infectious disease which causes people to cough and make a loud noise when they breathe in.

whoops / ^h wʊ ps/ EXCLAM You say ' whoops ' to indicate that there has been a slight accident or mistake, or to apologize to someone for it. [INFORMAL , FEELINGS ] □  Whoops, that was a mistake. □  Whoops, it's past 11, I'd better be off home.

whoosh / ^h wʊ ʃ, [AM ] hwuː ʃ/ (whooshes , whooshing , whooshed )

1 EXCLAM People sometimes say ' whoosh ' when they are emphasizing the fact that something happens very suddenly or very fast. [EMPHASIS ] □  Then came the riders amid even louder cheers and whoosh! It was all over.

2 VERB If something whooshes somewhere, it moves there quickly or suddenly. [INFORMAL ] □ [V adv/prep] Kites whooshed above the beach at intervals.

whop|per / ^h wɒ pə ^r / (whoppers )