The Collaborative Dictionary

Wherewithal \Where`with*al"\, adv. & n. Wherewith. "Wherewithal shall we be clothed?" --Matt. vi.

[1913 Webster] Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? --Ps. cxix.

[1913 Webster] [The builders of Babel], still with vain design, New Babels, had they wherewithal, would build. --Milton. [1913 Webster]

Word Net

wherewithal n : the necessary means (especially financial means) adv : out of, or by means of which; "tools wherewith to scrape the windshield of my car" [syn: wherewith]

Moby Thesaurus

Swiss bank account, ability, and pence, assets, balance, bank account, bottom dollar, budget, capacity, capital, cash, cash reserves, checking account, circulating medium, coinage, coined liberty, cold cash, command of money, currency, devices, disposable resources, dollars, emergency money, exchequer, filthy lucre, finances, fractional currency, fund, funds, gold, hard cash, hard currency, kitty, legal tender, life savings, lucre, mammon, managed currency, means, medium of exchange, method, mintage, money, moneys, necessity money, nest egg, pecuniary resources, pelf, pocket, pool, postage currency, postal currency, pounds, power, purse, recourses, reserves, resorts, resources, savings, savings account, scrip, shillings, silver, soft currency, specie, sterling, stock, substance, supply, the almighty dollar, the wherewith, the wherewithal, treasure, unregistered bank account, ways, ways and means, wherewith

English

Pronunciation

Noun

1. The ability, and the necessary financial means, to accomplish some task.

   I would like to help your project, but I do not have the wherewithal.

Quotations

• 1986, David Leavitt, The Lost Language of Cranes, Penguin, paperback edition, page 67

  "I just can't imagine," Philip said, "having that kind of self-knowledge, that kind of...wherewithal at fifteen.[...]"

Translations

See also

• wherewith (archaic)