he
1 Americanpronoun
nominative
he,possessive
his,objective
him,plural nominative
they,possessive
their, theirs,objective
them-
the male person or animal being discussed or last mentioned; that male.
-
anyone (without reference to gender); that person.
He who hesitates is lost.
noun
plural
hesadjective
noun
-
the fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
-
any of the sounds represented by this letter.
abbreviation
-
high explosive. Also HE
-
His Eminence.
-
His Excellency; Her Excellency.
pronoun
-
refers to a male person or animal
he looks interesting
he's a fine stallion
-
refers to an indefinite antecedent such as one, whoever, or anybody
everybody can do as he likes in this country
-
refers to a person or animal of unknown or unspecified sex
a member of the party may vote as he sees fit
noun
abbreviation
-
high explosive
-
His Eminence
-
His ( or Her) Excellency
symbol
noun
interjection
Grammar
Traditionally, the masculine singular pronouns he, his, and him have been used generically to refer to indefinite pronouns like anyone, everyone, and someone ( Everyone who agrees should raise his right hand ) and to singular nouns that can be applied to either gender ( painter, parent, person, teacher, writer, etc.): Every writer knows that his first book is not likely to be a bestseller. This generic use is often criticized as sexist, although many speakers and writers continue the practice. Those who object to the generic use of he have developed various ways of avoiding it. One is to use he/she or she/he (or he or she or she or he ) or the appropriate case forms of these pairs: Everyone who agrees should raise his or her (or her or his or his/her or her/his ) right hand. Forms blending the feminine and masculine pronouns, as s/he, have not been widely adopted, probably because of confusion over how to say them. Another solution is to change the antecedent pronoun or noun from singular to plural so that the plural pronouns they, their, and them can be used: All who agree should raise their right hands. All writers know that their first books are not likely to be bestsellers. See also they .
Etymology
Origin of he1
First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English hē; cognate with Dutch hij, Old Saxon hē, Old High German her; her , here ( def. ), it 1
Origin of he2
From Hebrew hē; cognate with Arabic hāʾ hā ( def. )
Vocabulary lists containing he
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.
By about 4 p.m., the street was clear with a few dozen people still in the area, Coss said, who he described as “mostly media.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2026
The five-time major champion showed patience to take control of the leaderboard, even though he was not playing as well as the scoreboard suggested.
From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026
McIlroy found eight of the 14 fairways in the third round - the same as he did on Friday when he shot a 65.
From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026
Northern Ireland's McIlroy saw his commanding lead evaporate during a dramatic day where he swung the door wide open to his rivals with a one-over par 73.
From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026
Last time you asked for help, he told you to reread the chapter.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
