you
[ yoo; unstressed yoo, yuh ]
/ yu; unstressed yʊ, yə /
pronoun, possessive your or yours, objective you, plural you.
noun, plural yous.
something or someone closely identified with or resembling the person addressed: Don't buy the bright red shirt—it just isn't you. It was like seeing another you.
the nature or character of the person addressed: Try to discover the hidden you.
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Nearby words
Origin of you
before 900; Middle English; Old English ēow (dative, accusative of gē ye1); cognate with Old Frisian ju, Old Saxon iu, Dutch u, Old High German iu, eu
Usage note
In American English the pronoun you has been supplemented by additional forms to make clear the distinction between singular and plural. You-all, often pronounced as one syllable, is a widespread spoken form in the South Midland and Southern United States. Its possessive is often you-all's rather than your. You-uns (from you + ones ) is a South Midland form most often found in uneducated speech; it is being replaced by you-all. Youse ( you + the plural -s ending of nouns), probably of Irish-American origin, is most common in the North, especially in urban centers like Boston, New York, and Chicago. It is rare in educated speech. You guys is a common informal expression among younger speakers; it can include persons of both sexes or even a group of women only. See also me.
Definition for you (2 of 2)
thou
1[ th ou ]
/ ðaʊ /
pronoun, singular, nominative thou; possessive thy or thine; objective thee; plural, nominative you or ye; possessive your or yours; objective you or ye.
Archaic except in some elevated or ecclesiastical prose. the personal pronoun of the second person singular in the nominative case (used to denote the person or thing addressed): Thou shalt not kill.
(used by the Friends) a familiar form of address of the second person singular.
verb (used with object)
to address as “thou.”
verb (used without object)
to use “thou” in discourse.
Origin of thou
1before 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, OCS ty; akin to Sanskrit tvam; (v.) late Middle English thowen, derivative of the pronoun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for you (1 of 3)
you
/ (juː, unstressed jʊ) /
pronoun (subjective or objective)
refers to the person addressed or to more than one person including the person or persons addressed but not including the speakeryou know better; the culprit is among you
Also: one refers to an unspecified person or people in generalyou can't tell the boys from the girls
noun
informal the personality of the person being addressed or something that expresses itthat hat isn't really you
you know what or you know who a thing or person that the speaker cannot or does not want to specify
Word Origin for you
Old English ēow, dative and accusative of gē ye 1; related to Old Saxon eu, Old High German iu, Gothic izwis
xref
See me 1
British Dictionary definitions for you (2 of 3)
thou
1/ (ðaʊ) /
pronoun (subjective)
archaic, dialect refers to the person addressed: used mainly in familiar address or to a younger person or inferior
(usually capital) refers to God when addressed in prayer, etc
Word Origin for thou
Old English thū; related to Old Saxon thū, Old High German du, Old Norse thū, Latin tū, Doric Greek tu
British Dictionary definitions for you (3 of 3)
thou
2/ (θaʊ) /
noun plural thous or thou
one thousandth of an inch. 1 thou is equal to 0.0254 millimetre
informal short for thousand
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
Idioms and Phrases with you
you
In addition to the idioms beginning with you
- you better believe it
- you bet your ass
- you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink
- you can say that again
- you can't take it with you
- you can't win
- you can't win 'em all
- you could cut it with a knife
- you don't say
- you get what you pay for
- you just don't get it
- you know
- you know something?
- you name it
- you never can tell
- young at heart
- you said it
- you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours
also see:
- all right for you
- as you please
- before you can say Jack Robinson
- before you know it
- between you and me
- bite the hand that feeds you
- do you read me
- for shame (on you)
- fuck you
- good for (you)
- how does that grab you
- how do you do
- if you can't beat them, join them
- I'll be seeing you
- I told you so
- look before you leap
- my heart bleeds for you
- no matter how you slice it
- not if you paid me
- now you're talking
- pay as you go
- practice what you preach
- quit while you're ahead
- same to you
- says who (you)
- screw you
- that's ___ for you
- what do you know
- what do you take me for
- what have you
- what of it (what's it to you)
- what's eating you
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.