may: meaning and words from its letters
3 letters · 8 letter points · starts with M · ends with Y
Meaning of may
verb
- intransitive, no-past-participle, no-present-participle, poetic
To be able to go.
- auxiliary, defective, modal, no-past-participle, no-present-participle
To have permission to, be allowed. Used in granting permission and in questions to make polite requests.
Example: you may smoke outside
- auxiliary, defective, modal, no-past-participle, no-present-participle
Granting the admissibility of a supposition, in a way that can be semantically either subjunctive or indicative. Expressing a present possibility; possibly.
Example: he may be lying
- auxiliary, defective, modal, no-past-participle, no-present-participle
Granting the admissibility of a supposition, in a way that can be semantically either subjunctive or indicative. Expressing a disjunctive or contrastive relation between indicative statements.
Example: You may be my boss, but that doesn't mean you can insult me.
Listed forms: might, maye.
Source: Wiktionary — may.
noun
- uncountable
The hawthorn bush or its blossoms.
Source: Wiktionary — may.
verb
- intransitive, poetic
To gather may, or flowers in general.
- intransitive, poetic
To celebrate May Day.
Listed forms: mays, maying, mayed.
Source: Wiktionary — may.
Adapted from Wiktionary contributors via Kaikki.org. Selected senses and forms; quotations omitted. Definition text is CC BY-SA 4.0.
Synonyms by meaning
Words are grouped by sense, so they are not necessarily interchangeable in every context. Search synonyms for may.
noun
thorny Eurasian shrub of small tree having dense clusters of white to scarlet flowers followed by deep red berries; established as an escape in eastern North America
- whitethorn
- English hawthorn
- Crataegus laevigata
- Crataegus oxycantha
Open English WordNet Team, 2025, derived from Princeton University WordNet; selected synonym groups under CC BY 4.0. Source · OEWN notice · Princeton notice.
Is may in our word lists?
| Word list | Status |
|---|---|
| American English | Found |
| British English | Found |
| Extended English | Found |
These are spelling-list matches, not official game validity checks. Check the rules and dictionary used by your game.
Letter-value score of may
M(3) + A(1) + Y(4) = 8 points.
This is a sum of letter values without board bonuses or word multipliers. A blank tile is worth zero: subtract the value of each letter supplied by a blank. The score does not establish game validity. Full letter-value table.
Anagrams of may
1 other standard-list word uses exactly these letters, including repeated letters.
Shorter words from may
4 shorter standard-list words can be made using no letter more often than it occurs in may. Showing up to 24, longest first.