they
Americanpronoun
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them,
objective
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their,
possessive
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theirs
possessive
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nominative plural of he, she, and it.
He needed a ride, and she had her car, so they left together.
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people in general.
They say he's rich.
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nominative singular pronoun.
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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): A person may enlist only if they are over 18.
Whoever is of voting age, whether they are interested in politics or not, should vote.
A person may enlist only if they are over 18.
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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): My best friend from high school is famous now—too bad we didn’t stay in touch after they moved to California.
The victim refused to testify at the trial because they feared for their life.
My best friend from high school is famous now—too bad we didn’t stay in touch after they moved to California.
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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).
Quinn is waiting for summer vacation to adopt a puppy, so they will have more time to get their new family member properly settled.
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pronoun
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refers to people or things other than the speaker or people addressed
they fight among themselves
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refers to unspecified people or people in general not including the speaker or people addressed
in Australia they have Christmas in the summer
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not_standard refers to an indefinite antecedent such as one, whoever, or anybody
if anyone objects, they can go
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an archaic word for those
blessed are they that mourn
Grammar
Traditional grammars have limited the use of they to refer only to a plural antecedent. These grammars recommended using the singular masculine he as if it were generic, referring to a man, woman, or humanity universally: Each person should bring his own lunch. Later, when generic he was criticized as sexist, he or she began to be used in its place. But in spite of its prescriptive prohibition, the pronoun they is also used to refer to a single person in three distinct ways. The oldest type, and the one most accepted by style guides, is when they refers to a generic, unspecified individual, or to a person whose gender and other personal details are unknown or irrelevant. Generic and singular indefinite they and related case forms their and them are found in respected works, from Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors (There's not a man I meet but doth salute me/As if I were their well-acquainted friend) to Lewis Carroll’s Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (If everybody minded their own business … the world would go round a deal faster than it does), as well as in the writing of authors like Shelley, Swift, Scott, Dickens, and Austen. Singular they is also used as a pronoun for a known, specified person, particularly when the individual is named with a job title or other noun phrase, instead of a proper name: My teacher had their car stolen. This specific singular they looks similar to the generic singular they, but is somewhat less acceptable in conservatively edited English. Nonbinary singular use of they, their, and them has become widely accepted in the 21st century. It has become much more common for people in general to announce which pronoun they use or to ask what pronoun another person uses. Some people, especially nonbinary, genderqueer, and gender-nonconforming people, don't like being referred to with either the traditionally masculine he or the feminine she. In those cases, nonbinary singular they is used as one alternative: When Tyler was applying to college, they indicated their intended major on the application. In addition to he, she, and singular they, there are also gender-neutral neopronouns like ze used for this purpose. Singular they can also be used when a person’s pronouns aren’t known, or to avoid assigning gender, and some style guides have been recommending this usage since the mid-2010s. 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 he 1.
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
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of they
First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English thei, they, from Old Norse their “they”; replacing Old English hī(e); cognate with Old English thā, plural of thæt; see that
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.
See Examples For:
Still, they have exploded in number over the past couple years.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 10, 2026
Tell their child that they appreciate the courage it took to tell the truth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026
The Chargers scored 14, 14 and 16 points in the first three games, and though they reached 23 at Seattle last Sunday, Herbert absorbed his most physical beating of the season.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2026
And with the Dodgers comes a gnawing question: Are they bad for baseball?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026
Joey soon learns that her condition has been revealed and the doctor has contacted the authorities, which means they will be on their way to take her to a leprosarium.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Soldiers drenched T-shirts in ice water and draped them over antennas that were on the fritz.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026
The family received conflicting information from hospital staff, Alejandra said, with one doctor telling them that Magaña’s injuries were consistent with a fall, while another said he had likely been asphyxiated.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2026
But two weeks later she called the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office and told them what happened.
From Salon ● Oct. 10, 2026
He’s reminding them who their meal ticket is.
From Slate ● Oct. 10, 2026
This may be the last time I see them.
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
As the S&P 500 rises toward 10,000, the value of these contracts will likely increase, along with their likelihood of delivering a payoff.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 10, 2026
Yet people who have gone “no contact” with their parents often tell me that this decision was their last resort—and a long time coming.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026
They were either fighting a war on their own soil or had just come out of one.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2026
At the same time, the contracts will lose some of their value as time passes and their expiration dates approach.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 10, 2026
Both sides seize him as proof of their belief.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
Rooney and Myha'la surrendered theirs, but traitor Jama managed to hold on to hers.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
Williams was watching the stream on a television as his wife and son were getting ready for bed when a life-changing fortune became theirs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
That’s your issue to grapple with — not theirs.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
Grotts isn’t a fan of honeymoon funds—she called the concept a “money-moon”—but noted that, when giving a couple cash, “it’s theirs to use however they wish.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
They brought a little lightness into her world, and she hoped to bring a little lightness into theirs.
From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown
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.
