what with

English

WOTD – 17 August 2006

Pronunciation

Audio (US) (file)
Audio (AU) (file)

Preposition

(idiomatic) Owing to; because of; as a result of.
She was sleeping very badly these days, what with the new baby and all the activity surrounding him.

Usage notes

Unlike its synonymous expressions, what with is always preceded by a comma or used at the beginning of a sentence.

Translations

owing to

Arabic: حَيْث‎ (ḥayṯ), لِأَن‎ (liʾan), بِسَبَب‎ (bi-sabab)
Icelandic: út af

Kurdish: ji ber (ku), seba (ku)
Spanish: entre pitos y flautas

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