- objective of thou.
you
Americanpronoun
-
you,
plural
-
your,
possessive
-
yours
possessive
-
the pronoun of the second person singular or plural, used of the person or persons being addressed, in the nominative or objective case.
You are the highest bidder. It is you who are to blame. We can't help you. This package came for you. Did she give you the book?
-
one; anyone; people in general.
a tiny animal you can't even see.
-
(used in apposition with the subject of a sentence, sometimes repeated for emphasis following the subject).
You children pay attention. You rascal, you!
-
Informal. (used in place of the pronoun your before a gerund).
There's no sense in you getting upset.
-
Archaic.
-
yourself; yourselves.
Get you home. Make you ready.
-
a plural form of the pronoun ye.
-
noun
-
yous
plural
-
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.
pronoun
-
refers to the person addressed or to more than one person including the person or persons addressed but not including the speaker
you know better
the culprit is among you
-
Also: one. refers to an unspecified person or people in general
you can't tell the boys from the girls
-
a dialect word for yourself or yourselves See yourself
you should get you a wife now
noun
-
informal the personality of the person being addressed or something that expresses it
that hat isn't really you
-
a thing or person that the speaker cannot or does not want to specify
Usage
In American English the pronoun you has been supplemented by additional forms to make clear the distinction between singular and plural. You-all is a widespread spoken form in the South Midland and Southern United States. A closely related monosyllabic form is written y'all and is used both in and outside of the South Midland and Southern United States, evoking a familiar and informal tone rather than indicating a regional identity. The possessive forms for these are often you-all's and y'all's, respectively, rather than your. You-uns (from you + ones ) is a South Midland form most often found in nonstandard speech; it is being replaced by you-all or y'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 used for plural you. It does not have a strong regional or dialectal association, but its usage is in flux among some populations of speakers. People who adopted plural you guys in the 1980s and 90s may use it as a gender-neutral plural, referring to any group without regard to sex or even a group of women only. Younger speakers and politically progressive speakers are more likely to perceive you guys as gendered and problematically noninclusive of trans and nonbinary people, and as such tend to avoid its use. See also me.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of you
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English ēow (dative, accusative of gē ye 1 ); cognate with Old Frisian ju, Old Saxon iu, Dutch u, Old High German iu, eu
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:
Keep up with the weather where you are.
From BBC ● Nov. 14, 2026
"There are no elections in South Sudan as I have been telling you," rights campaigner Malong Deng told AFP.
From Barron's ● Nov. 14, 2026
Buy because you think somebody else will pay more, not because the company is making more money.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 14, 2026
Think of the periphery of your home and what you would want to cover.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 14, 2026
It’s difficult to care for someone else when you don’t feel well, and Joey’s fever is relentless.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
The black-clad, 23-year-old singer-songwriter barely spoke to the audience, uttering only a couple of thank yous during one of two solo performances at the venue this past weekend.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 17, 2025
"A hundred thank yous for the fabulous doctors, nurses, radiographers, porters, physios, surgeons and more at the Manchester Royal Infirmary," said Archibald.
From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2024
When she finished, her classmates showered her with a chorus of thank yous — “sucran” in Arabic, “toda” in Hebrew.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 24, 2024
They kissed and exchanged I love yous; Joe shuffled to the door.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 6, 2023
Milkman slumped over the crate and caught his breath, barely able to nod to the old man’s thank yous.
From "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison
“It’s the telematics in your vehicle, the smart thermostat in your condo, your house, your apartment. And those are just four of the millions of the sensors that are out there.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 14, 2026
"When Lyon calls you, it's maybe just one time in your life," she says.
From BBC ● Nov. 14, 2026
When you bite into a crisp apple, the “pop” is the sound of your teeth splitting apart its cells, said Matt Clark, Bedford’s colleague and the director of the fruit breeding program.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 14, 2026
Slate Plus members also get access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts.
From Slate ● Nov. 14, 2026
Or, maybe, he loves the burnt air that fills your throat and lungs, day in and day out?
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Anna Sale: On The Survivor Files, you talk to survivors whose stories have a lot in common with yours, and ones who experienced totally different crimes.
From Slate ● Nov. 8, 2026
Q. Who lives in the house on the right side of yours?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026
Their spice cabinet becomes yours; their stove, your stove; their neighborhood grocery store, your little errand.
From Salon ● Oct. 28, 2026
Surviving spouses can claim up to 100% of a late spouse’s Social Security, depending on when they claim, should your husband’s be higher than yours and you predecease him.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 19, 2026
It gives you an understanding that is distinctly, wholly yours.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
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