Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English - however

~1 adv 1 used when you are adding a fact or piece of information that seems surprising, or seems to disagree with what you have just said  (People like this are usually harmless. They can, however, be a nuisance. | This method has been widely adopted. However, it is not yet clear that it is the best method.)  (- see but1) 2 however hard/serious/long/carefully etc it makes no difference how hard, serious, long, carefully etc  (You should report any incident, however serious or minor it is. | We'll have to finish the job, however long it takes. | however much/many (=it makes no difference, how much or how many))  (I really want the car, however much it costs.) 3 used to mean how, when you want to show that you find something very surprising  (However did he get that job?) ~2 conjunction in whatever way  (You can do it however you like. | If we win the match we'll be delighted however it happens.)