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:
It opens its coverage of the hottest day of the year saying: "Wildfires caused apocalyptic scenes last night as they engulfed homes."
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
By the end of that year, associates said they recall seeing what looked like an engagement ring on Clark’s hand, and not long afterward, the couple wed in Italy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
The CMEs cause beautiful auroras, and they can also affect life on Earth by causing geomagnetic storms that can knock down power grids and affect weather and communication satellites.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
When they got together, Amodei was still an academic, working as a postdoctoral scholar at Stanford University School of Medicine, having earned his Ph.D. in computational neuroscience from Princeton.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
They still have no idea where they are headed or what they are doing there, only that they’re involved in some sort of cultural military organization.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Clark, known for being social and outgoing, has interacted with politicians and potential investors on behalf of Amodei, chatting with them and bringing them over to meet her bookish husband at conferences and events.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
"It was difficult to contact them, and the cancellation was near impossible," he says.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
Asked whether bringing them back could help make the park feel that way again, Young was skeptical.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
"We make sure that every ship, every crew, every captain has everything we can provide them at every single moment," he said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
Antonio and Hanna Damasio, a husband-and-wife team of doctors, regularly see people who remind them of Phineas Gage.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
Regulators said the two companies generate more than $10 billion in revenue from their California customers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
Americans borrowed a record $211 billion to pay for their cars last quarter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Dismissal of the charges follows 51-year-old Vem Miller’s completion of a county program that allows first-time, low-level offenders to have their criminal charges dropped and arrest records sealed after completing a set of requirements.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
It reports that the heatwave has driven a surge in attendance at A&E departments, which last month had "their busiest time ever" due to a "record 2.5 million patients" needing care.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
They have no prior notice that they are wanted or needed in the national military, but they arrive at their designated stations as requested.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
The bakery said: "Every shop that reopens means jobs restored, a unit back in use and footfall returning to the high street, which we believe serves everyone's interests: ours, theirs and the wider local economy's."
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
Ms. Loughridge and Mr. Patteson allow for a certain fluidity in their arrangement, for theirs is an attempt “to organize the non-existent.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
What the note points out is that workers in highly exposed occupations are finding it harder to transition to other jobs once they have lost theirs.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026
"Younger audiences often encounter global events through social media before they engage with the event itself. Instead of asking consumers to enter Wimbledon's world, the campaign briefly enters theirs."
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
So, since Emma was out of the room, and since nobody had labeled the jar as theirs, Jake popped open the top and gobbled down the jelly beans, one fistful at a time.
From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein
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.
