shall serve you, sir, truly, however else William Shakespeare
b
: to whatever degree or extent
couldn't convince him, however hard she tried
has done this for however many thousands of years Emma Hawkridge
2
: in spite of that : on the other hand
still seems possible, however, that conditions will improve
would like to go; however, I think I'd better not
3
: how in the world
however did you manage to do it
Did you know?
Beginning a Sentence With However
However is one in a long list of words that students have been admonished to avoid placing at the beginning of a sentence (others include and, but, for, so, yet, and many more). Can you use however to start a sentence? Yes. Some usage guides will recommend against placing it there when the intended meaning is “nonetheless” but will allow it for other senses of however, but a considerable number of prominent (and not so prominent) writers utilize just this sense of however in the initial position. You should make your own judgment about such use and let your ear guide you regarding its appropriateness.
Conjunction Do it however you like. I will help however I can. Adverb I'm all out of eggs; however, I can still make us a nice breakfast.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adverb
Many health officials, researchers, and harm-reduction advocates, however, say that attitude misses an obvious reality: For millions of Americans battling addiction, quitting cold turkey is simply not an option. Lev Facher, STAT, 11 Sep. 2022 So far, there has been no evidence that a firearm was used; however, detectives were still investigating the incident. Lillian Boyd, The Arizona Republic, 11 Sep. 2022 Something wasn’t working quite right with the PA, however, and the band stopped while the system was reset. Spin Staff, SPIN, 11 Sep. 2022 Events on the battlefield appeared to paint a bleak picture for the Kremlin, however. Hyder Abbasi, NBC News, 11 Sep. 2022 After halftime, however, Kentucky responded by holding Florida scoreless and establishing a ground attack.The Courier-Journal, 11 Sep. 2022 For all that separated them, however, Flacco and Jackson handled the 2018 season gracefully. Childs Walker, Baltimore Sun, 11 Sep. 2022 Such tactical concerns pale, however, in comparison to the broader shifts in the national mood that have played to Democrats’ favor.Anchorage Daily News, 11 Sep. 2022 Their quarterback, however, is not deep on experience. Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2022 See More