my
1 Americanpronoun
interjection
determiner
-
of, belonging to, or associated with the speaker or writer (me)
my own ideas
do you mind my smoking?
-
used in various forms of address
my lord
my dear boy
-
used in various exclamations
my goodness!
interjection
abbreviation
abbreviation
combining form
Grammar
See me.
Usage
What does my- mean? My- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “muscle.” It is often used in medical terms, especially in anatomy. My- comes from the Greek mŷs, meaning “muscle” and “mouse.” Mouse? You read that right. Discover why at our entry for muscle!My- is a variant of myo-, which loses its -o- when combined with words or word elements beginning with vowels. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use myo- article.
Etymology
Origin of my
First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English mī, variant of mīn, Old English mīn; see mine 1
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.
My dentist from a decade ago came through with a picture of a cupcake decked in a sparkler.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 2, 2026
My nephew Randy, who’s one of my managers, he wanted me to take some of the Tijuana Brass records and do a little disco number with them.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 2, 2026
Commenting under Smith's Instagram post, award-winning singer-songwriter Raye wrote: "My beautiful superwoman friend."
From BBC • Jul. 2, 2026
Related: ‘She wants him gone’: My friend took in a homeless man as a caretaker.
From MarketWatch • Jul. 2, 2026
My dad texts one of their moms, and she tells him to send her the bill.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
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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.