WHY in a Sentence

Learn WHY from example sentences; some of them are from classic books. These examples are selected from a corpus with 300,000 sentences, including classic works and current mainstream media. Some sentences also link to their contexts.
146 example sentences for WHY, such as:
1. I wonder why he left his job.
2. I wonder why she is staying away.
3. She didn't see why he couldn't come.
4. I wonder why he's in such a mood today.
5. She cited three reasons why people get into debt.
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Animal Farm by George Orwell
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 Meanings and Examples of WHY
why
 n.  the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase `the whys and wherefores'
Classic Sentence: (80 in 6 pages)
1  He looked at me sideways--and I knew why Jordan Baker had believed he was lying.
The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald
Context  Highlight   In Chapter 4
2  And I don't understand why you won't come out frankly and tell me what you want.
The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald
Context  Highlight   In Chapter 4
3  Just why these inventions were a source of satisfaction to James Gatz of North Dakota, isn't easy to say.
The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald
Context  Highlight   In Chapter 6
4  She didn't see why he couldn't come.
The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald
Context  Highlight   In Chapter 8
5  Especially she is generally intolerant of emotion, when she does not fully comprehend the why and wherefore.
The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne
Context  Highlight   In XIX. THE CHILD AT THE BROOKSIDE
6  Now, why the Reverend Mr. Dimmesdale considered it so very fortunate we hesitate to reveal.
The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne
Context  Highlight   In XX.THE MINISTER IN A MAZE
7  I know why you inquire about him, very well; your sister is to marry him.
Sense and Sensibility By Jane Austen
Context  Highlight   In CHAPTER 20
8  Once, however, the lieutenant asked why he had come so far upon the ice in so strange a vehicle.
Frankenstein By Mary Shelley
Context  Highlight   In Letter 4
9  It was poisonous to me to see him in the town, for I very well knew why he had come there.
Great Expectations By Charles Dickens
Context  Highlight   In Chapter XLIII
10  There are reasons why I must say no more of that.
Great Expectations By Charles Dickens
Context  Highlight   In Chapter XLIV
11  Almost fearing, without knowing why, to come in view of the forge, I saw it at last, and saw that it was closed.
Great Expectations By Charles Dickens
Context  Highlight   In Chapter LVIII
12  I couldn't quite understand why Peggotty looked so queer, or why she was so ready to go back to the crocodiles.
David Copperfield By Charles Dickens
Context  Highlight   In CHAPTER 2. I OBSERVE
13  I trembled without distinctly knowing why, and still looked at her earnestly, making no attempt to answer.
David Copperfield By Charles Dickens
Context  Highlight   In CHAPTER 9. I HAVE A MEMORABLE BIRTHDAY
14  They come in, nobody knows when, why, or how; and they go out, nobody knows when, why, or how.
David Copperfield By Charles Dickens
Context  Highlight   In CHAPTER 9. I HAVE A MEMORABLE BIRTHDAY
15  She told me we must part, and told me why; and we condoled with one another, in all sincerity.
David Copperfield By Charles Dickens
Context  Highlight   In CHAPTER 10. I BECOME NEGLECTED, AND AM PROVIDED FOR
Example Sentence: (66 in 5 pages)
1  I am not you who who who, why care about Russia 's who's who.
2  She has accepted your explanation as to why you didn't attend the meeting.
3  I love you like a god of plague and why I treat you like a lover.
4  He cannot understand why she's constantly carping at him.
5  I can never understand why Mary said nothing about her wrongs.
6  I can understand why astronauts find it difficult to readjust to life on earth.
7  Now I understand why travelers rave about Lapland.
8  Before you give up ,think of the reason why you held on so long.
9  I wonder why he left his job.
10  As often as not when I make the effort to visit her, I wonder why I've even bothered.
11  I wonder why she is staying away.
12  I wonder why these dresses have been marked down.
13  I wonder why you can't credit him with the same generosity of spirit.
14  I wonder why he's in such a mood today.
15  She cited three reasons why people get into debt.