the male person or animal being discussed or last mentioned; that male.
anyone (without reference to gender); that person.
He who hesitates is lost.
the fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
any of the sounds represented by this letter.
high explosive. Also HE
His Eminence.
His Excellency; Her Excellency.
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
high explosive
His Eminence
His ( or Her) Excellency
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 .
First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English hē; cognate with Dutch hij, Old Saxon hē, Old High German her; cf. her , here ( def. ), it 1
From Hebrew hē; cognate with Arabic hāʾ hā ( def. )
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“This is personal for us and for many of the incredible individuals standing behind me,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has said he doesn’t want Brazil to become merely another exporter of raw materials.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026
While searching for comparisons, he found a few similar helmet depictions in 14th-century English artwork, but no exact equivalents.
From Science Daily • Jun. 8, 2026
"They allow police to step in at an early stage to prevent harm and disrupt organisations while we investigate," he said.
From BBC • Jun. 8, 2026
Dr. Harlow wants Phineas to come in off the porch so he can treat his wound.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
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.
