how, what, why, etc. on earth...
informalDefinition
C1 used when you are extremely surprised, confused, or angry about something: How on earth did this happen? Why on earth didn't you tell me before?Question words and expressions
(Definition of how, what, why, etc. on earth... from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus
© Cambridge University Press)
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Synonyms and related words:
- how about...? idiom
- how adverb
- in God's/heaven's name idiom
- interrogative adjective
- interrogative noun
- shall modal verb (SUGGEST)
- what are you like? idiom
- what the blazes...? idiom
- what/where/how/why the devil idiom
- whatever pronoun (SURPRISE)
- when adverb, conjunction
- when pronoun
- whence adverb, conjunction
- whenever adverb
- whereabouts adverb
- which determiner, pronoun (QUESTION)
- whither adverb
- who pronoun (QUESTIONS)
- whose pronoun, determiner
- would you like...? idiom
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