i
1 American-
Also called imaginary unit. the imaginary number .
-
a unit vector on the x -axis of a coordinate system.
noun
plural
I's, Is, i's, is-
the ninth letter of the English alphabet, a vowel.
-
any spoken sound represented by the letter I or i, as in big, nice, or ski.
-
something having the shape of an I.
-
a written or printed representation of the letter I or i.
-
a device, as a printer's type, for reproducing the letter I or i.
pronoun
nominative
I,possessive
my, mine,objective
me,plural nominative
we,possessive
our, ours,objective
usnoun
plural
I's-
(used to denote the narrator of a literary work written in the first person singular.)
-
Metaphysics. the ego.
abbreviation
-
the ninth in order or in a series.
-
(sometimes lowercase) the Roman numeral for 1.
-
Chemistry. iodine.
-
Biochemistry. isoleucine.
-
Electricity. current.
-
Logic. particular affirmative.
-
(italics) isotopic spin.
abbreviation
-
imperator.
-
incisor.
-
interest.
-
intransitive.
-
island.
-
isle; isles.
abbreviation
-
Independent.
-
Island; Islands.
-
Isle; Isles.
pronoun
symbol
-
chem iodine
-
physics current
-
physics isospin
-
logic a particular affirmative categorial statement, such as some men are married, often symbolized as SiP Compare A E O 1
-
one See Roman numerals
abbreviation
abbreviation
-
International
-
Island or Isle
noun
-
the ninth letter and third vowel of the modern English alphabet
-
any of several speech sounds represented by this letter, in English as in bite or hit
-
-
something shaped like an I
-
( in combination )
an I-beam
-
-
to pay meticulous attention to detail
suffix
symbol
Grammar
See me.
Etymology
Origin of I
First recorded before 900; Middle English ik, ich, i, Old English ic, ih; cognate with Gothic ik, German ich, Old Norse ek, Latin ego, Greek egṓ, Old Church Slavonic azŭ, Lithuanian aš, Sanskrit ahám
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.
Joseph replied, “I am currently in solitary but they got me a bible so i have been able to stay encouraged. Thanks for the encouraging message! it means a lot!”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026
"If you don't carry it, you're arrested. In my life i was so afraid of being arrested… even now I'm afraid."
From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026
"This information will prevent the overtreatment of low-risk patients, thereby limiting side effects and unnecessary costs, while intensifying the monitoring and treatment of those at high risk," says Ariel Ruiz i Altaba.
From Science Daily • Mar. 21, 2026
It recovered a bit i n February after Trump nominated former Fed governor Kevin Warsh, viewed as a more traditional pick, as the next Fed chair.
From Barron's • Feb. 19, 2026
“And Pal-Is sounds like palace—but they don’t even have a king. Do you think they would have i been better off with kings?”
From "Habibi" by Naomi Shihab Nye
![]()
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.