what for
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He was earning what for the mid-Victorian era counted as a small fortune, but no fewer than four households of assorted relatives relied on his largesse.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026
I said, “I’ll tell you what, for the sizzle reel, we’ll do this: You are the son of two doctors. You are ‘the boomerang kid.’
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2026
They wrote: “Mortgage costs are a decisive factor in consumers’ assessment of their ability to make what for many Americans amounts to the most meaningful purchase of their lives.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 20, 2026
She was determined to shine a light on what, for many Americans on both sides of the color line, is a hidden and forgotten history.
From Salon • Dec. 13, 2025
All I could think of was that in his desire to conserve gasoline, he wanted me to ask him each time I used it, and let him know what for.
From "Z for Zachariah" by Robert C. O’Brien
