here

[ heer ]
See synonyms for here on Thesaurus.com
adverb
  1. in this place; in this spot or locality (opposed to there): Put the pen here.

  2. to or toward this place; hither: Come here.

  1. at this point; at this juncture: Here the speaker paused.

  2. (used to call attention to some person or thing present, or to what the speaker has, offers, brings, or discovers): Here is your paycheck. My friend here knows the circumstances.

  3. present (used to answer a roll call).

  4. in the present life or existence (often followed by below): We want but little here below.

  5. under consideration, in this instance or case: The matter here is of grave concern to us all.

noun
  1. this place: It's only a short distance from here.

  2. this world; this life; the present: The here and the hereafter are equal mysteries to all people.

adjective
  1. (used for emphasis, especially after a noun modified by a demonstrative adjective): this package here.

interjection
  1. (often used to command attention, give comfort, etc.) now; all right: Here, let me try it. Here, don't cry.

Idioms about here

  1. here and now,

    • at the present moment; without delay; immediately: We must tend to the matter here and now.

    • Usually the here and now . the immediate present: You can't live only in the here and now.

  2. here and there,

    • in this place and in that; at various times or places: He worked here and there, never for long in one town.

    • hither and thither: We drove here and there in the darkness, hoping to find the right roads.

  1. here goes, (used to express resolution in beginning a bold or unpleasant action): You've dared me to dive from the highest board, so here goes!

  2. here's to, hail to; salutations to: Here's to a long and happy life! Here's to you!

  3. neither here nor there, without relevance or importance; immaterial: The fact that her family has no money is neither here nor there.

  4. up to here with,

    • having a surfeit of:I'm up to here with work.

    • at a high point of annoyance with: Everyone is up to here with his constant complaining.

Origin of here

1
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English hēr; cognate with German hier, Old Norse, Gothic hēr

usage note For here

10. See there.

word story For here

The very basic word here, a derivative of the Proto-Indo-European root ko-, ke-, kē(i)-, ki- “this, this here,” has so many relatives in so many Indo-European languages that it is hard to choose examples.
From ke-, Latin has cedo “gimme,” cēterus (from ce-eteros ) “the other, the rest of,” hic (from hic-ce ) “this, this here,” and ecce “look!” Greek has (e)keînos (from (e)ke-enos ) “that, that one (over there),” and ekeî “there, over there.” The variant ki- yields Latin cis “on this side of” (as in Gallia Cisalpina “Cisalpine Gaul,” that part of Italy in the Po Valley between the Alps and the Apennines, where Gauls lived).
In Germanic ki- becomes hi-, from which Old English has hē, his, him and the neuter pronoun hit (English he, his, him and it ), hire, the genitive and dative singular feminine pronoun (English her ), and heom, him, the dative plural of the third person pronoun, now the colloquial English ‘em. Old High German derives hiutu “this day, today” (German heute ). Hi- and the adverbial or locative suffix -r yields Gothic hēr, Old English hēr, and German hier.
Finally, Hittite has ki “this” and kinun “now.”

Words that may be confused with here

Words Nearby here

Other definitions for Here (2 of 2)

Here
[ heer-ee ]

noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use here in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for here (1 of 2)

here

/ (hɪə) /


adverb
  1. in, at, or to this place, point, case, or respect: we come here every summer; here, the policemen do not usually carry guns; here comes Roy

  2. here and there at several places in or throughout an area

  1. here goes an exclamation indicating that the speaker is about to perform an action

  2. here's to a formula used in proposing a toast to someone or something

  3. here today, gone tomorrow short-lived; transitory

  4. here we go again an event or process is about to repeat itself

  5. neither here nor there of no relevance or importance

  6. this here See this (def. 7)

noun
  1. this place: they leave here tonight

  2. here and now or the here and now the present time

Origin of here

1
Old English hēr; related to Old Norse hēr, Old High German hiar, Old Saxon hīr

British Dictionary definitions for Here (2 of 2)

Here

/ (ˈjɪrə) /


interjection
  1. Southern African an exclamation of surprise or dismay

Origin of Here

2
Afrikaans: Lord

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with here

here

In addition to the idioms beginning with here

  • here and now
  • here and there
  • here goes
  • here today, gone tomorrow
  • here to stay

also see:

  • buck stops here
  • downhill all the way (from here)
  • have had it (up to here)
  • neither here nor there
  • same here
  • where do we go from here

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.