him

[ him ]

/ hɪm /

Save This Word!

pronoun

the objective case of he, used as a direct or indirect object: I'll see him tomorrow. Give him the message.

Informal. (used instead of the pronoun he in the predicate after the verb to be): It's him. It isn't him.

Informal. (used instead of the pronoun his before a gerund): We were surprised by him wanting to leave.

noun

Informal. a male: Is the new baby a her or a him?

QUIZZES

QUIZ YOURSELF ON “ITS” VS. “IT’S”!

Apostrophes can be tricky; prove you know the difference between it’s and its in this crafty quiz!

Question 1 of 12

On the farm, the feed for chicks is significantly different from the roosters’; ______ not even comparable.

it's

its

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of him

before 900; Middle English, Old English, dative of hēhe¹

usage note for him

See he¹, me.

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH him

him , hymn

Definition for him (2 of 2)

H.I.M.

abbreviation

His Imperial Majesty; Her Imperial Majesty.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for him

I remember H. Jon Benjamin told me it was a way-too-late apology for Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
‘Archer’ Creator Adam Reed Spills Season 6 Secrets, From Surreal Plotlines to Life Post-ISIS|Marlow Stern|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In a 2009 interview, Church apostle Dallin H. Oaks held that the Church “does not have a position” on that point.
Your Husband Is Definitely Gay: TLC’s Painful Portrait of Mormonism|Samantha Allen|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“I´m now writing to you from goat heaven,” he lamented on the blog he maintains.
Sweden’s Burning Christmas Goat|Nina Strochlic|December 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Or fast-fashion chains like Zara and H&M churning out runway imitations.
The Big Business of Fashion Counterfeits|Lizzie Crocker|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Mahoney helped author the I-STOP legislation based on data his office collected in regard to fraud.
No More Paper Prescriptions: Docs Fight Fraud by Going Electronic|Dale Eisinger|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
G was a gamester, who had but ill-luck; H was a Hunter, who hunted a buck.
Boys and Girls Bookshelf; a Practical Plan of Character Building, Volume I (of 17)|Various
M was a Miser, and hoarded up gold; N was a Nobleman, gallant and bold.
Boys and Girls Bookshelf; a Practical Plan of Character Building, Volume I (of 17)|Various
The living (value £250) is in the gift of trustees, and is now held by the Rev. M. Parker, Vicar.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham|Thomas T. Harman and Walter Showell
“I hope he will grow up to be a true comfort to you, M. Pujol,” said Miss Janet.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
That of M. Charles Guenllette is the authority followed here.
Women in the fine arts, from the Seventh Century B.C. to the Twentieth Century A.D.|Clara Erskine Clement

British Dictionary definitions for him (1 of 2)

him

/ (hɪm, unstressed ɪm) /

pronoun (objective)

refers to a male person or animalthey needed him; she baked him a cake; not him again!

mainly US a dialect word for himself he ought to find him a wife

Word Origin for him

Old English him, dative of hē he 1

undefined him

See me 1

British Dictionary definitions for him (2 of 2)

HIM

abbreviation for

His (or Her) Imperial Majesty

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

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

him