wherewithal

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 23, 2025 is: wherewithal \WAIR-wih-thawl\ noun Wherewithal refers to the means, skills, resources, or money that is needed to get or do something. // The company does not have the financial wherewithal to expand into other markets at this time. [See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wherewithal) Examples: "... it is heartening to know that there are people of real influence who have the will and wherewithal to help lift the city out of the [doldrums](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/doldrums)." — Scott Wright, The Herald (Scotland), 15 May 2025 Did you know? If wherewithal sounds like three words smashed together, that’s because it is—sort of. Wherewithal combines [where](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/where) and [withal](https://bit.ly/3YXS4DQ), an adverb from Middle English that is itself a combination of with and all. In the past, wherewithal was used as a conjunction meaning "with or by means of which" and as a pronoun meaning "that with or by which." Today, however, it is almost always used as a noun to refer to the means or resources a person or entity has at their disposal. It refers especially to financial resources, but other means such as social influence, ability, and emotional capacity may also be termed as "wherewithal."