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they'd

American  
[theyd] / ðeɪd /

  1. contraction of they had.

  2. contraction of they would.

they'd British  
/ ðeɪd /

contraction

  1. they would or they had

"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

Usage

See contraction.

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.

Then, they’d push the carcasses into piles and burn them.

From Slate • Apr. 20, 2026

In 2024, Los Angeles police announced they’d uncovered a Lego theft ring.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 19, 2026

If they could, they’d deny our ally the capabilities to fight our enemy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

We heard from several asylum seekers who said they'd been encouraged by advisers they were paying to bring their claim to visit a GP and pretend they were depressed.

From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026

If she could just keep them busy with her answers, maybe they’d never get around to us pupils.

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck

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.