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whom

whompronoun

American /hum/ British /huːm/

very commondefining vocabularyformal

the object form of who
Whom is used, mainly in formal writing, to ask about or refer to a person as the object of a verb or right after a preposition. Directly after a preposition, it cannot be dropped or replaced with who: the person to whom I spoke, not the person to who I spoke. Elsewhere, as an object relative pronoun, whom can often be left out altogether: the person I spoke to.
- Whom did you invite to the wedding?
- To whom should I address the letter?
- She is the person whom I most admire.
- I wasn't sure whom to ask for help.
Collocations
phrase to whom, for whom, with whom, to whom it may concern
Compare who (who covers both subject and object in everyday speech; whom is a more formal object form)
For translators (sense 1)
Grammar trap English marks the object form of its person-asking pronoun (whom) separately from the subject form (who), but only in careful use; many languages either always mark this distinction or never do.

Word family

who (the subject form, and the everyday object form)

Usage

Everyday speech generally uses who for both subject and object; whom is kept mainly in formal writing and directly after a preposition (to whom it may concern). With the preposition at the end of the clause instead, who is standard even in careful writing: who did you speak to?

Common mistakes

Whom is at the door? Who is at the door?
Whom is never the subject of a verb; use who when asking who is doing the action.

See also who