their
[ th air; unstressed th er ]
/ ðɛər; unstressed ðər /
pronoun
a form of the possessive case of they used as an attributive adjective, before a noun: their home; their rights as citizens; their departure for Rome.
(used with a singular indefinite pronoun or singular noun antecedent in place of the definite masculine his or the definite feminine her): Someone left their book on the table. It's good for the teacher to have high expectations for their students.
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Compare theirs.
Origin of their
Usage note
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.
it
1[ it ]
/ ɪt /
pronoun, nominative it, possessive its or (Obsolete or Dialect) it, objective it; plural nominative they, possessive their or theirs, objective them.
noun
(in children's games) the player called upon to perform some task, as, in tag, the one who must catch the other players.
Slang.
- sex appeal.
- sexual intercourse.
Origin of it
1Usage note
See me.
she
[ shee ]
/ ʃi /
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.
Origin of she
Usage note
they
[ th ey ]
/ ðeɪ /
pronoun, possessive their or theirs, objective them.
people in general: They say he's rich.
(used with a singular indefinite pronoun or singular noun antecedent in place of the definite masculine he or the definite feminine she): Whoever is of voting age, whether they are interested in politics or not, should vote. A person may apply only if they are over 21. They have been an actor since childhood.
Origin of they
1150–1200; Middle English < Old Norse their they (replacing Old English hī(e)); cognate with Old English thā, plural of thæt that
Usage alert
Long before the use of generic he was condemned as sexist, the pronouns they, their, and them were used in educated speech and in all but the most formal writing to refer to singular indefinite pronouns or singular nouns of general personal reference (which are often not felt to be exclusively singular): If anyone calls, tell them I'll be back soon. A parent should read to their child. Such use is not a recent development, nor is it a mark of ignorance. Shakespeare, Swift, Shelley, Scott, and Dickens, as well as many other English and American writers, have used they and its related case forms to refer to singular antecedents. Already widespread in the language (though still rejected as ungrammatical by some), this use of they, their, and them is increasing in all but the most conservatively edited American English. This increased use is at least partly impelled by the desire to avoid generic he or the awkward he/she and he or she when the antecedent’s gender is not known or when the referent is of mixed gender: The victim had money and jewelry taken from them. It’s hard to move an aging mother or father from their long-term home.
However, while use of they and its forms after singular indefinite pronouns or singular nouns of general personal reference or indefinite gender is common and generally acceptable, their use to refer to a single clearly specified, known, or named person is uncommon and likely to be noticed and criticized, as in this example: My hair stylist had their car stolen. Even so, use of they, their, and them is increasingly found in contexts where the antecedent is a gender-nonconforming individual or one who does not identify as male or female: Tyler indicated their preferences on their application.
And although they may be used as a singular pronoun, they still takes a plural verb, analogous to the use of "you are" to refer to one person: The student brought in a note to show why they were absent. See also he1.
However, while use of they and its forms after singular indefinite pronouns or singular nouns of general personal reference or indefinite gender is common and generally acceptable, their use to refer to a single clearly specified, known, or named person is uncommon and likely to be noticed and criticized, as in this example: My hair stylist had their car stolen. Even so, use of they, their, and them is increasingly found in contexts where the antecedent is a gender-nonconforming individual or one who does not identify as male or female: Tyler indicated their preferences on their application.
And although they may be used as a singular pronoun, they still takes a plural verb, analogous to the use of "you are" to refer to one person: The student brought in a note to show why they were absent. See also he1.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
their
/ (ðɛə) /
determiner
of, belonging to, or associated in some way with themtheir finest hour; their own clothes; she tried to combat their mocking her
belonging to or associated in some way with people in general not including the speaker or people addressedin many countries they wash their clothes in the river
belonging to or associated in some way with an indefinite antecedent such as one, whoever, or anybodyeveryone should bring their own lunch
Word Origin for their
C12: from Old Norse theira (genitive plural); see they, them
xref
See they
He
the chemical symbol for
helium
HE
abbreviation for
high explosive
His Eminence
His (or Her) Excellency
IT
abbreviation for
information technology
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
xref
See me 1
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
he
2/ (heɪ, Hebrew he) /
noun
the fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet (ה), transliterated as h
he
3/ (hiː, heɪ) /
interjection
an expression of amusement or derisionAlso: he-he!, hee-hee!
it
1/ (ɪt) /
pronoun (subjective or objective)
noun
Word Origin for it
Old English hit
it
2the internet domain name for
Italy
they
/ (ðeɪ) /
pronoun (subjective)
refers to people or things other than the speaker or people addressedthey fight among themselves
refers to unspecified people or people in general not including the speaker or people addressedin Australia they have Christmas in the summer
not standard refers to an indefinite antecedent such as one, whoever, or anybodyif anyone objects, they can go
an archaic word for those blessed are they that mourn
Word Origin for they
C12: thei from Old Norse their, masculine nominative plural, equivalent to Old English thā
usage
It was formerly considered correct to use he, him, or his after pronouns such as everyone, no-one, anyone, or someone as in everyone did his best, but it is now more common to use they, them, or their, and this use has become acceptable in all but the most formal contexts: everyone did their best
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
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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.
He
The symbol for helium.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
it
In addition to the idioms beginning with it
- it figures
- it never rains but it pours
- it stands to reason
- it takes all sorts
- it takes getting used to
- it takes one to know one
- it takes two to tango
also see:
- that does it
they
see bigger they come; let the chips fall where they may.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.