thou
1 Americanpronoun
-
you,
plural, objective
-
ye,
plural, objective
-
thee,
objective
-
thy,
possessive
-
thine,
possessive
-
your,
possessive
-
yours
possessive
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
-
thous,
plural
-
thou
plural
pronoun
-
archaic refers to the person addressed: used mainly in familiar address or to a younger person or inferior
-
(usually capital) refers to God when addressed in prayer, etc
noun
-
one thousandth of an inch. 1 thou is equal to 0.0254 millimetre
-
informal short for thousand
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of thou1
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English thū; cognate with German, Middle Dutch du, Old Norse thū, Gothic thu, Old Irish tú, Welsh, Cornish ti, Latin tū, Doric Greek tý, Lithuanian tù, Old Church Slavonic ty; akin to Sanskrit tvam; (verb) late Middle English thowen, derivative of the pronoun
Origin of thou2
First recorded in 1865–70; by shortening
Explanation
The word thou, used in place of "you," is not used much in modern language. In fact, with its Biblical feeling, it’s most often used in religious contexts. Otherwise, it might be used as slang for thousand. Anyone familiar with the Bible knows the word thou means "you." As the word worked its way from Old English, it varied a little in its subtext, from a plural referring to higher-ups, then to equals, and, around 1450, as a slightly insulting reference suggesting inferiority. Today, it's used primarily by specific religious groups, or as a somewhat affected, archaic word in poetry. As a side note, if someone asks you for a thou, they mean a thousand dollars.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“It shouldn’t be this black box that we say, ‘Verily thou shalt, and then that’s the answer.’”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
Ecclesiastes 11:1: “Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.”
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 7, 2026
He said the Eleventh Commandment of the Bible should be "thou shalt not be indifferent".
From BBC ● Feb. 19, 2025
When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; what is man, that thou art mindful of him?
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2024
He said passionately: “Lady or damsel, what that thou be, in an evil time bare ye a bow; the devil made you a shooter!”
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
An unpublished short story by Charlotte Brontë featuring flogging and embezzling, as well as a poem stuffed with thees and thous, have been discovered inside a book owned by the novelist’s mother.
From The Guardian ● Nov. 12, 2015
This is precisely the sort of diction that Tagore chose for the English Gitanjali, which, with its thees and thous, has so tried our patience.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 8, 2011
This mostly felicitous British rendition updates the New English Bible of 1970, shedding thees and thous and many male nouns and pronouns.
From Time Magazine Archive
No thees or thous in a streamlined Shakespeare Suppose you wanted to modernize Shakespeare, pull him up by his Elizabethan pantoffles and bring his 37 plays into our more streamlined age.
From Time Magazine Archive
I like the Quaker speech: the gentle intimacy of their "little language," with its quaint "thees" and "thous," and the curious turn they give to their verbs, disregarding the formalities of grammar.
From Days Off And Other Digressions by Henry Van Dyke
Get thee to a department store for some soft furnishings.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 3, 2026
“Thanks to the petition. ... I wouldn’t have done it without you. Oh CitizenNIKA you are thee moment. Gold Trump card free of charge.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 29, 2026
Reflecting his deep interest in religion and spirituality, above the door is inscribed the prayer: "Lighten our darkness, we beseech thee, O Lord."
From BBC ● Jan. 28, 2026
I then couldn’t help but recall Shakespeare: “Now cracks a noble heart. Good-night, sweet prince. And angels sing thee to thy rest.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 14, 2026
“What ails thee, Ophelia? You are wan and distracted today.”
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
While foretelling his imminent death, Christ tells his followers: “Walk while ye have the light.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
Here’s the tl;dr, Mr. President: That line about “Look upon my works, ye mighty, and despair!” sounds awesome but is meant to be ironic.
From Salon ● May 3, 2026
Chloé Zhao’s ye olde dysfunctional marriage weepie deserved a supporting actor nomination for 12-year-old Jacobi Jupe, who is so heartbreaking as William Shakespeare’s brave son that he casts a spell over the movie.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 22, 2026
Burton replied: "You've never been nicked or had ye prints took anyway so doesn't matter".
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2025
“Okay, Miss SmartyPants. Why then would the water python attack when ye grabbed the crown?”
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
“There’s a certain type of person that, once you’re out of school, you crave learning and have curiosity about the world and really want to dig into a subject,” Jerry said.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 7, 2026
“Had a little bitter breakup, you know, but it is what it is at this point,” Curl said of the Commanders.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 7, 2026
"However, I also appreciate the sellers' point of view, and ultimately you cannot stop someone from putting a property on the market or another person from choosing to buy it," he added.
From BBC ● Nov. 7, 2026
WSJ | Buy Side: How many credit cards should you have?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 7, 2026
If that place is damaged, do you stop acting human?
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
The milkshake cup features Proverbs 3:5: “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2025
Several of his pieces reflect the importance of Byrd, most explicitly “Two Motets,” an orchestration of “Bow thine Ear” and “Miserere mei, Deus.”
From New York Times ● Jul. 4, 2023
For thine is the kingdom,The power, and the glory, For ever and ever.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2022
This is intentional, part of its strategy to allow the story to play on a field of idealism and emphasize its loftier messages of both knowing yourself and "to thine own self, be true."
From Salon ● Aug. 7, 2021
And: “‘This above all, to thine own self be true.’”
From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein
Talarico has made the New Testament command to love thy neighbor a centerpiece of his campaign.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
Ecclesiastes 11:1: “Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.”
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 7, 2026
The Gospel reading for Ash Wednesday is from the sixth chapter of Matthew—the chapter in which Jesus teaches the disciples to recite the Lord’s Prayer: “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 12, 2026
He offered words of wisdom for Thanksgiving: “Always do thy duty, which is best, leave unto the Lord the rest.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 26, 2025
“It sends the blood flying through thy veins to warm thee. Besides, it strengthens thy body and, best of all, it strengthens thy spirit to do a hard thing.”
From "The Door in the Wall" by Marguerite de Angeli
“It’s perceived as a high-protein way to keep your muscle mass up when you’re on GLP-1s,” said Brian Walton, an economist at Bozic, a dairy-market data tracker.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 7, 2026
Thank you for coming on that journey with me and good luck with your own gardens in the future.
From BBC ● Nov. 7, 2026
As Jason Gay summed it up with a lesson from Business 101: “If your business strategy is paying people more than anyone, it isn’t a business. It’s a wallet.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 7, 2026
Both these guys should be grateful that life is unfair, but not if you’re making millions of dollars for flapping your lips about a game.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 7, 2026
“Your dad tells me your birthdays are tomorrow. You two are turning fifteen! That’s exciting. Any big plans?” she asks.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
Their spice cabinet becomes yours; their stove, your stove; their neighborhood grocery store, your little errand.
From Salon ● Oct. 28, 2026
“When we retire, we’ll have all these incredible stories and incredible memories, and yours will be at the top of it all,” Witkoff said in comments directly to the Russian leader.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
Surviving spouses can claim up to 100% of a late spouse’s Social Security, depending on when they claim, should your husband’s be higher than yours and you predecease him.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 19, 2026
While we’re on the subject of shirts, let me ask about yours, Michael.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
Sometimes he reminds me of that old coachman of yours.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
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