what with

English

WOTD – 17 August 2006

Pronunciation

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Preposition

(idiomatic, informal) Owing to; because of; as a result of.
She was sleeping very badly these days, what with the new baby and all the activity surrounding him.
- 2009, David Walliams, Mr Stink:
  It was hard to take him seriously, though, what with his multi-colored eye makeup.

Usage notes

Unlike its synonymous expressions, what with is always preceded by a comma if not used at the beginning of a sentence.

Translations

owing to

Arabic: حَيْث (ḥayṯ), لِأَن (liʔan), بِسَبَب (bi-sabab)
Icelandic: út af
Kurdish:
Northern Kurdish: ji ber (ku), seba (ku)

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