his
[ hiz; unstressed iz ]
/ hɪz; unstressed ɪz /
pronoun
the possessive form of he1 (used as an attributive or predicative adjective): His coat is the brown one. This brown coat is his. Do you mind his speaking first?
that or those belonging to him: His was the cleverest remark of all. I borrowed a tie of his.
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Nearby words
Origin of his
Definition for his (2 of 3)
Definition for his (3 of 3)
he
1[ hee; unstressed ee ]
/ hi; unstressed i /
pronoun, nominative he, possessive his, objective him; plural nominative they, possessive their or theirs, objective them.
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, plural hes.
any male person or animal; a man: hes and shes.
adjective
male (usually used in combination): a he-goat.
Origin of he
1Usage note
Traditionally, the masculine singular pronouns he1 , 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.
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.
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for his (1 of 6)
his
/ (hɪz, unstressed ɪz) /
determiner
- of, belonging to, or associated with himhis own fault; his knee; I don't like his being out so late
- as pronounhis is on the left; that book is his
his and hers (of paired objects) for a man and woman respectively
pronoun
of his belonging to or associated with him
Word Origin for his
Old English his, genitive of hē he 1 and of hit it
British Dictionary definitions for his (2 of 6)
He
the chemical symbol for
helium
British Dictionary definitions for his (3 of 6)
HE
abbreviation for
high explosive
His Eminence
His (or Her) Excellency
British Dictionary definitions for his (4 of 6)
he
1/ (hiː, unstressed iː) /
pronoun (subjective)
refers to a male person or animalhe looks interesting; he's a fine stallion
refers to an indefinite antecedent such as one, whoever, or anybodyeverybody can do as he likes in this country
refers to a person or animal of unknown or unspecified sexa member of the party may vote as he sees fit
noun
- a male person or animal
- (in combination)he-goat
- a children's game in which one player chases the others in an attempt to touch one of them, who then becomes the chaserCompare tag 2
- the person chasingCompare it 1 (def. 7)
Word Origin for he
Old English hē; related to Old Saxon hie, Old High German her he, Old Slavonic sĭ this, Latin cis on this side
British Dictionary definitions for his (5 of 6)
he
2/ (heɪ, Hebrew he) /
noun
the fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet (ה), transliterated as h
British Dictionary definitions for his (6 of 6)
he
3/ (hiː, heɪ) /
interjection
an expression of amusement or derisionAlso: he-he!, hee-hee!
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Medicine definitions for his (1 of 3)
His
abbr.
histidine
Medicine definitions for his (2 of 3)
His
[ hĭs ]
German anatomist known for his investigations of the heart. He described (1893) the atrioventricular trunk, also called the His bundle.
Medicine definitions for his (3 of 3)
He
The symbol for the elementhelium
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Science definitions for his
He
The symbol for helium.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.