he
pronoun
the male person or animal being discussed or last mentioned; that male.
he
1 American
[hee, ee]
/ hi, i /
pronoun
-
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
hes
plural
adjective
he
2
American
[hey]
/ heɪ /
Or
heh
noun
-
the fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
-
any of the sounds represented by this letter.
He
3
American
Symbol, Chemistry.
HE
4
American
Or
H.E.
H.E.
5
American
abbreviation
-
high explosive. Also HE
-
His Eminence.
-
His Excellency; Her Excellency.
he
1
British
/ iː, hiː /
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
HE
2
British
abbreviation
-
high explosive
-
His Eminence
-
His ( or Her) Excellency
He
3
British
symbol
he
4
British
/ he, heɪ /
noun
he
5
British
/ hiː, heɪ /
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; cf. 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.
He will now attempt to guide the side to qualify for the next major tournament, the Euros in 2028 which is being staged across the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland.
From BBC • May 27, 2026
He has however been criticized by environmentalists for his support of a massive oil exploration project near the mouth of the Amazon River.
From Barron's • May 27, 2026
He has also worked internationally as a Visiting Scholar at the University of Cincinnati.
From Science Daily • May 27, 2026
He would regularly visit his newspapers but left the ultimate authority of running them to his publishers.
From Los Angeles Times • May 27, 2026
He sat at the faux wooden table and his spine wilted.
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.
