thou
1 Americanpronoun
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
pronoun
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archaic refers to the person addressed: used mainly in familiar address or to a younger person or inferior
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(usually capital) refers to God when addressed in prayer, etc
noun
-
one thousandth of an inch. 1 thou is equal to 0.0254 millimetre
-
informal short for thousand
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of thou1
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English thū; cognate with German, Middle Dutch du, Old Norse thū, Gothic thu, Old Irish tú, Welsh, Cornish ti, Latin tū, Doric Greek tý, Lithuanian tù, Old Church Slavonic ty; akin to Sanskrit tvam; (verb) late Middle English thowen, derivative of the pronoun
Origin of thou2
First recorded in 1865–70; by shortening
Explanation
The word thou, used in place of "you," is not used much in modern language. In fact, with its Biblical feeling, it’s most often used in religious contexts. Otherwise, it might be used as slang for thousand. Anyone familiar with the Bible knows the word thou means "you." As the word worked its way from Old English, it varied a little in its subtext, from a plural referring to higher-ups, then to equals, and, around 1450, as a slightly insulting reference suggesting inferiority. Today, it's used primarily by specific religious groups, or as a somewhat affected, archaic word in poetry. As a side note, if someone asks you for a thou, they mean a thousand dollars.
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:
Ecclesiastes 11:1: “Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.”
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 7, 2026
A church warden said it was "ironic" that thieves stole a painting of the Ten Commandments, including text reading "thou shalt not steal", from a church.
From BBC ● Feb. 28, 2025
“When I do it, I'm trying not to be holier than thou in every way that I can. And I fail at that a fair amount.”
From Salon ● Nov. 4, 2024
When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; what is man, that thou art mindful of him?
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2024
But thou, O Lord, shalt have them in derision.
From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams
An unpublished short story by Charlotte Brontë featuring flogging and embezzling, as well as a poem stuffed with thees and thous, have been discovered inside a book owned by the novelist’s mother.
From The Guardian ● Nov. 12, 2015
This is precisely the sort of diction that Tagore chose for the English Gitanjali, which, with its thees and thous, has so tried our patience.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 8, 2011
Translated directly from the Hebrew Masoretic text, the new Torah leaves out Elizabethan thees and thous, shuns traditional Biblical prose.
From Time Magazine Archive
Because the translators chose to retain "thee" and "thou" forms in addressing God, many of the Psalms are studded with "thees," "thous," "hasts," and "didsts."
From Time Magazine Archive
I like the Quaker speech: the gentle intimacy of their "little language," with its quaint "thees" and "thous," and the curious turn they give to their verbs, disregarding the formalities of grammar.
From Days Off And Other Digressions by Van Dyke, Henry
In the thee years since Rodgers left, Leicester have had seven managers, with sources questioning the decision-making as the Foxes have lurched from style to style with no identity.
From BBC ● Apr. 21, 2026
Get thee to a department store for some soft furnishings.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 3, 2026
Like Donne, we can mine wisdom from the frailty of our mortal bodies—but be grateful that when the bell tolls for thee, plague, smallpox and typhus won’t be to blame.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026
The felony charges against Gutierrez-Reed carry a possible sentence of up to thee years in prison.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 6, 2024
“How did thee find a way here?” she demanded of him.
From "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Elizabeth George Speare
The book is signed on the inside front cover in black ballpoint pen by Sir Paul, reading: "All the best! to ye!"
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
The former is known for promoting evangelism, as seen in Jesus’ directive in Mark 16:15: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026
Here’s the tl;dr, Mr. President: That line about “Look upon my works, ye mighty, and despair!” sounds awesome but is meant to be ironic.
From Salon ● May 3, 2026
Founded in 1963, the fair has become known for ye olde trail of fyne, fanciful foods.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2026
“In a moment I’m gonna show ye five faces,” she says to the leprechaun.
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
"There's always that sort of little doubt, but I have faith in the fact that you know this is meant to be," she said.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
"What you worry about is the repeated shocks are building a muscle memory of what it means to raise prices, and that's the exact thing the Federal Reserve is tasked to avert," she said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
And don’t even consider one of the pricey cards unless you can pay the balance in full every month.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
The Daily Mirror poses the question on the lips of a heartbroken mother: "What did you do to my son?"
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
Caesar holds out a silver dollar, asking softly, “Private, would you kindly watch my horse and wagon?”
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
All of those candidate contortions bring to mind a line from Hamlet: To thine own self be true.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2024
“That was what my mama always used to say: to thine own self be true. I put a lot of stock in that,” she told The Guardian.
From Salon ● Oct. 19, 2023
Play the Mini Crossword, and a clue: Shakespeare play with the line “To thine own self be true.”
From New York Times ● Oct. 5, 2022
"I read the last one of those love letters at her funeral. You know the one that goes 'Ever thine ever mine'… I don't ever look it up now. I can't."
From BBC ● Nov. 28, 2020
“Kay,” said Merlyn, suddenly terrible, “thou wast ever a proud and ill-tongued speaker, and a misfortunate one. Thy sorrow will come from thine own mouth.”
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
“O, swear not by the moon, th’ inconstant moon / That monthly changes in her circle orb / Lest that thy love prove likewise variable,” Juliet warned Romeo.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2026
Thou art risen to great estate and fortune — release thy shackles.
From MarketWatch ● May 21, 2026
I then couldn’t help but recall Shakespeare: “Now cracks a noble heart. Good-night, sweet prince. And angels sing thee to thy rest.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 14, 2026
His crime: taking too seriously the biblical commandment to love thy neighbor and the injunction not to kill.
From New York Times ● Jun. 5, 2024
“As soon as the plague is somewhat quieted in London, a messenger will be sent to thy father. Meanwhile, we shall care for thee.”
From "The Door in the Wall" by Marguerite de Angeli
“I still said, ‘I already turned it down so you’re wasting your time.’”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
Just don’t expect to have your pick of round-trip flights to Europe in business class.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
"You were failed by each of your parents. You were failed by your extended family," Primm said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
"People say your 20s are the best years of your life and these are the worst years of my life, by far."
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
The neck flap covers your cerebellum, which coordinates movement.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
Celeste replied "of course its yours David", according to testimony from a detective.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
At age 62, he is entitled to collect up to 50% of the amount of his ex-spouse’s Social Security benefits, if they are greater than yours.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
The emails caught my attention, and now yours too.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
The vast Lake Tahoe estate of Beach Boys co-founder Mike Love, complete with a theater, wine tasting room, ice-skating rink and sauna, could be yours — for the small price of $43 million.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
“My tree is Charlotte and yours is Wilbur.”
From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret
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.
