he
pronoun
the male person or animal being discussed or last mentioned; that male.
he
1 American
[hee, ee]
/ hi, i /
pronoun
-
they,
plural nominative
-
him,
objective
-
them,
objective
-
his,
possessive
-
their,
possessive
-
theirs
possessive
-
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 .
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
See Examples For:
In the weeks leading up to the runoff, he has faced a torrent of spending from outside groups attacking him.
From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2026
The teenager's mother was shocked to find him smelling "terrible" as if he had not washed for days.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
And then, even after the departure of many hardy attendees who had made it through the whole event, he remained.
From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2026
The boy was referred to the Home Office National Referral Mechanism - which ensures support is given to victims of modern slavery - and it was concluded he had been a "victim of exploitation".
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
The iron throws him flat on his back, but as his men come running through the gunpowder smoke, he sits up.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
He added succinctly, “We’re going to win this election.”
From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2026
He will be missed but certainly not forgotten.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
He was the last speaker of the three-hour event, and thunder had been audible outside for over an hour.
From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2026
He returned six years later, after titles in Milan and Madrid, and clinched his third Premier League crown in his second season, only to be gone by Christmas of the following campaign.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
He publishes a series of articles, in which he describes Tala as a “graveyard of the living dead.”
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
The study was conducted by Xuhang Zhang, a postdoctoral researcher at IGG working under the supervision of Professor HE Huaiyu.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026
The HE representative said the former late Victorian Anglican church, which was adopted in 1987, was a "fantastic blend of English and Ukrainian religious traditions".
From BBC ● May 10, 2023
HE: You’re the only woman I ever loved.”
From Washington Post ● May 3, 2022
HE stood with the powerless and oppressed against the powerful.
From Salon ● Jan. 17, 2022
SO HE WAS, three days later, thinner, paler, and not a whit daunted by his two months in a concrete cell.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Kate Larson is also a fan of YA fiction, and she’s especially excited to sell customers “Godly Heathens,” a novel by local author H.E.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 13, 2023
"The Congo government of H.E. Kabila, supported by some regional and international actors, gave them free tenancy in North Kivu and Ituri," Museveni said, referring to Congolese provinces.
From Reuters ● Jul. 14, 2023
H.E. faithfully prayed the Rosary for those suffering from the virus.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 16, 2021
“Plan A was to be an ag education teacher,” Heupel said during an interview in a classroom at the H.E.
From Washington Times ● Aug. 26, 2017
"I said that everything was coming up out of the ground," repeated H.E., slightly raising his voice.
From A New Medley of Memories by David Hunter-Blair
“But clearly there’s problems—problems that are still here from 4 years ago. Simply put, hes not it.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 31, 2025
She – there are hes, but the disciples I’ve spotted in the wild are predominantly female – is deaf to criticism, immune to self-doubt, ready to spring to action.
From The Guardian ● May 16, 2018
The suspect had given up his rights of protection if hes threatening those same rights of others.
From New York Times ● Apr. 24, 2018
Maybe hes a cipher in the sense that hes a symbol.
From Salon ● Mar. 9, 2014
From a smoking tower, a great stone beast took wing, breathing shadow fire. . . . mother of dragons, slayer of hes .
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
Are they focusing more now on scoring points than they are winning races?
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
The baby birds were hatched earlier this summer, and have since successfully left the nest, with hopes they may return.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
Bursting clear of his rivals like they were a technical area, Arteta shrugged off questions over his team's sometimes robust style as well as those who suggested the Gunners were destined to always be runners-up.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
They say they never saw Singh place tenants' deposits in a regulated scheme.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
These microscopic animals might be marvels of nature, but no doctor suspects that they have anything to do with disease, let alone infections.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
In the weeks leading up to the runoff, he has faced a torrent of spending from outside groups attacking him.
From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2026
But Siddiqi eventually persuaded the child to team up with him by suggesting he could use the cash to help his mother.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
But Ren said there are nights when his daughter refuses to sleep and tells him she's scared.
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
“Many knew and loved him through The Five Heartbeats, The Wanderers, V, The Principal, Streamers, and the many other characters he brought to life throughout his remarkable career,” the post continued.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
He’s thinking of me; I’m thinking of him.
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Some will inevitably say this was another example of Ferrari messing up their strategy, an accusation that is levelled at them quite often.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
That may sound mundane, but the rails support extremely heavy servers while keeping them cool.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
Boston's scoring ratio is extraordinary, claiming 478 tries in 488 games for Wigan and helping them win three Challenge Cups and the Championship.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
Trump was so pleased that he told them to deliver the news to the crowd.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
Some of them worshipped nature spirits, gods of particular localities, their own ancestors, and female shamans who spoke with departed spirits and delivered prayers in song.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
At his peak, he could intimidate established incumbents into retiring.
From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2026
King Carlo has steered them all to domestic glory, not to mention his Champions League record of five successes.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
He ended his remarks by stating, of the election in only three days, “Don’t forget: Next Tuesday, go to the polls.”
From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2026
All action, high-octane performances, adored by his fans yet prickly under pressure.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
It’s an alias, a fake name used for his protection.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
But it’s also the school year, with every public school in the state open and parents already ferrying their children back and forth each day.
From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2026
Brentford are in the fortunate position of being able to choose their deals carefully after some excellent squad strengthening.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
According to Politico, U.S. negotiators said Ottawa wanted last-minute changes of their own.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026
—Gold prices were broadly stable after hitting their highest level since mid-May on Monday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
Unsurprisingly, the Battle of Bataan does little to endear Filipinos to their occupiers.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
“My whole thing is: When you use generative AI to come up with ideas, people forget what ideas were theirs and what ideas were the computer’s,” he says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
Perhaps to their point, you aren’t burdened by your own children — don’t allow yourself to be burdened by theirs.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026
Since that $26 million refusal, Bare and Huddleston, two self-described “country hicks,” have become polarizing heroes of the rural campaign against the AI technology rewiring geopolitics, the economy—and now hometowns like theirs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
StubHub’s user agreement grants the company the right to serve legal notices by email but requires customers to send theirs by certified mail.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
She gained on them, however, involuntarily: the child’s pace was quick, and theirs rather slow; and she was the more concerned at it, from their being evidently in a conversation which interested them.
From "Emma" by Jane Austen
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.
