"With Who" or "With Whom"? Correct Version (With Examples) (2024)

It’s important to learn about all the differences between “who” and “whom” in writing. Once you’ve mastered how they work in one case, you should know how they work in all cases. This article will explain how “with who” and “with whom” work (and which is correct).

Is It “With Who” or “With Whom”?

“With whom” is the correct form, and “with who” is incorrect. When you include “who” or “whom” after a preposition, you should make sure to include it as the object of the sentence. “Whom” is the object of the sentence. “Who” is the subject, so “with who” is wrong.

You can also replace “whom” with an objective pronoun (like “me”) to find out whether you have the correct form. The objective pronoun would become “with me,” which makes sense.

It’s important to use “with whom,” both formally and informally. Some native speakers drop “whom” for “who” informally because they can be interchangeable, but this is only due to a mistake or misunderstanding of the language. “With whom” should be the only choice.

According to Google Ngram Viewer, only “with whom” is correct. The clear difference in the graph shows that the object of the sentence is the only one that should come after the preposition. In this case, “with” is the preposition, so “whom” is correct.

With Who

“With who” is incorrect. You should not use it if you want to make sure you’re speaking or writing according to English rules. “Who” is the subject of the sentence which has no place coming after the preposition “with.”

• Correct: The person with whom you are speaking is of no importance to me right now.
• Incorrect: The people with who you are meeting are on their way. You should be prepared to break the bad news to them.
• Correct: The guy with whom you are seeing has called to cancel. I’m sorry to tell you that, but it’s the truth.
• Incorrect: With who are you going to see the play? I want to know whether there’s a space free for me.

With Whom

“With whom” is the only correct choice. When you’re referring to doing something with people, you should use “whom” after the preposition. “Whom” is the object of the sentence, so it makes sense to include it after the preposition when using it in this way.

1. With whom are you meeting? I’m sure I told you not to set up any meetings without my input.
2. I do not get the people with whom you associate yourself. You really should be careful with all of this.
3. The men with whom you are working are scaring me. I think you should be careful how you approach the subject.
4. I will visit my boss later, with whom I shall discuss the new matters that should make working here slightly better for me.

With Which

“With which” is a more general way to use “with” with the object of the sentence. “Which” allows us to talk about objects or items, while “whom” only refers to people. We should use “which” whenever we’re not referring to doing something with people.

1. With which item did you say he committed the crime? It’s important to get it right for our documents.
2. I will be using this later, with which I shall be able to control the temperatures of the building better.
3. I will find the right tool, with which I will make sure to get this job done in an effective manner.
4. I will make sure it’s right from this information, with which I will make the world a better place.

Is It “Who With” or “Whom With”?

“Who with” becomes the correct form when you swap the positions of “who” and the preposition. Whenever the word comes before the preposition, the subject of the sentence is used. “Who with” is correct, but “whom with” is not.

According to Google Ngram Viewer, “who with” is the much more popular choice. This shows that “who” becomes the more popular word when it comes before the preposition. The subject of the sentence is used when it comes before “with.”

Final Thoughts

“With whom” is the only correct choice. You should use it whenever you want to make sure you’re grammatically correct. Even though some native speakers overlook the correct use of “whom,” “with who” is still not a grammatically correct choice.

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