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British

she

[ shee ]

/ ʃi /

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See synonyms for: she / hers / her / shes on Thesaurus.com

pronoun, singular nominative she,possessive her or hers,objective her;plural nominative they,possessive their or theirs,objective them.

the female person or animal being discussed or last mentioned; that female.

the woman: She who listens learns.

anything considered, as by personification, to be feminine: spring, with all the memories she conjures up.

noun, plural shes.

a female person or animal.

an object or device considered as female or feminine.

VIDEO FOR SHE

How To Use Personal Pronouns

It's totally cool if someone doesn't identify as a he or a she and wants to be a they. If you really want to be an ally, consider asking what pronoun someone prefers.

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QUIZ

TAKE JOY IN ACING THIS QUIZ ON “PRIDE” SYNONYMS

Hold your head up high as you embark on this quiz that explores some of the synonyms and meanings of “pride.”

Question 1 of 7

What does "dignity" mean?

showing self-respect

treating others with kindness

acting selfishly

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Origin of she

1125–75; Middle English, alteration of Old English sēo, sīo, sīe, feminine of sethe¹; replacing Old English hēo, hīo, feminine personal pronoun; see he¹, her

usage note for she

See he¹, me, they.

Words nearby she

Shays's Rebellion, Shaytan, Shazar, Shcheglovsk, Shcherbakov, she, shea, shea butter, sheading, sheaf, shealing

Other definitions for she (2 of 2)

s/he

[ shee-er-hee, shee-hee ]

/ ˈʃi ərˈhi, ˈʃiˈhi /

pronoun

she or he: used as an orthographic device to avoid he when the sex of the antecedent is unknown or irrelevant.

Compare she/he.

usage note for s/he

See he¹.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use she in a sentence

And without physical evidence, cases often come down to “he said/she said.”
No Wonder Cosby's Keeping Quiet: He Could Still Be Prosecuted|Jay Michaelson|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They would later be dubbed a “bloodthirsty” “lesbian she-wolf pack” and—most famously—“a seething, Sapphic septet.”
‘Out in the Night’ and the Redemption of the ‘Killer Lesbian Gang'|Nina Strochlic|June 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This is just one voter out of many, naturally, but he/she has enough to say for an army.
A Tony Voter on Bryan Cranston’s Overrated LBJ, Neil Patrick Harris’s Underwhelming Hedwig|Michael Musto|June 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
No he-said-she-said, no muffled sounds through the dorm ceiling, no “Maybe he has other issues.”
Your Princess Is in Another Castle: Misogyny, Entitlement, and Nerds|Arthur Chu|May 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST

On the term “she-male,” GLAAD has issued similar condemnations.
RuPaul’s ‘She-Mail’ Exits Drag Race|Parker Molloy|April 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Sometimes far up in the hills a she-fox would bark, or some too-aged tree of the forest would come down with a booming crash.
Love's Pilgrimage|Upton Sinclair
She was very angry with Crozier, for it was absurd, that look of deprecating homage, that "Hush-she-is-coming" in his eyes.
You Never Know Your Luck, Complete|Gilbert Parker
The males have nearly an equal vehement desire for the female mule, the she-ass, and the mare.
Buffon's Natural History. Volume IX (of 10)|Georges Louis Leclerc de Buffon
A too strong ardour is often attended with sterility; and the female mule is at least as ardent as the she-ass.
Buffon's Natural History. Volume IX (of 10)|Georges Louis Leclerc de Buffon
The he and she-ass, therefore, both incline to sterility by common and also by different qualities.
Buffon's Natural History. Volume IX (of 10)|Georges Louis Leclerc de Buffon

British Dictionary definitions for she

she

/ (ʃiː) /

pronoun (subjective)

refers to a female person or animalshe is a doctor; she's a fine mare

refers to things personified as feminine, such as cars, ships, and nations

Australian and NZ an informal word for it 1 (def. 3) she's apples; she'll be right

noun

a female person or animal
(in combination)she-cat

Word Origin for she

Old English sīe, accusative of sēo, feminine demonstrative pronoun

undefined she

See me 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012