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.
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a written or printed representation of the letter I or i.
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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.
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Chemistry. iodine.
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Biochemistry. isoleucine.
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Electricity. current.
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Logic. particular affirmative.
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(italics) isotopic spin.
abbreviation
-
imperator.
-
incisor.
-
interest.
-
intransitive.
-
island.
-
isle; isles.
abbreviation
-
Independent.
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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.
"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
Barrett “will do as i say,” Epstein wrote in a June 2014 email to an executive working for Black’s family office.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026
“James Van Der Beek was one in a billion and he will be forever missed and i don’t know what else to say,” wrote Busy Philipps in her Instagram tribute.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 13, 2026
DMGT, whose titles also include the i Paper, the New Scientist and Metro, agreed to buy the Telegraph in November after years of uncertainty over the paper's future owner.
From BBC • Feb. 12, 2026
Truth, i think that is the last basic element.
From "Stella by Starlight" by Sharon M. Draper
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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.