them
Americanpronoun
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the objective case of plural they, used as a direct or indirect object.
We saw them yesterday. I gave them the books.
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Informal. (used instead of the pronoun they in the predicate after the verbto be ): No, that isn’t them.
It's them, across the street.
No, that isn’t them.
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Informal. (used instead of the pronoun their before a gerund).
The boys' parents objected to them hiking without adult supervision.
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the objective case of singular they, used as a direct or indirect object.
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(used to refer to a generic or unspecified person previously mentioned, about to be mentioned, or present in the immediate context): If an officer were to ask you that question directly, you would have to answer them honestly.
If you know anyone looking for a job, tell them to contact me.
If an officer were to ask you that question directly, you would have to answer them honestly.
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(used to refer to a specific or known person previously mentioned, about to be mentioned, or present in the immediate context).
I can’t believe your ex took your cat with them when they moved out.
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(used to refer to a nonbinary or gender-nonconforming person previously mentioned, about to be mentioned, or present in the immediate context).
Randi’s on vacation, so you can’t see them until next week.
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adjective
pronoun
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(objective) refers to things or people other than the speaker or people addressed
I'll kill them
what happened to them?
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a dialect word for themselves
they got them a new vice president
determiner
Grammar
Etymology
Origin of them
First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English theim, theym, from Old Norse theim “them” (dative); replacing Middle English tham(e), Old English thǣm, thām; cf. they
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.
In Torres del Limonar, a Cali residential complex that collapsed in Monday's earthquake, people pick through rubble to recover victims' belongings and return them to grieving families.
From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026
It is not just parents seeking child support who accuse the CMS of letting them down.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
By allegedly targeting child users, Meta "chose to exploit" young people in order to hook them on its platforms, so it could grow its user base and expand its business.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
It’s fun to match up with them in the regular season … kind of a measuring stick of where we’re at and kind of what we need to do to be better.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
They promise villagers that the Japanese Army has no intention of harming them as long as they follow the rules.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
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.
