- 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:
And lastly, thank you to the VMAs for giving us a World Premiere at the place where celebrating music videos became a thing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
If you live along the East Coast, you’ve probably had a damp few days.
From Slate ● Sep. 28, 2026
"Those are striking findings when you consider the level of trust that the Australian government has with the United States."
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
The day of the week you fly can also affect how much you pay.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026
I wonder: How can you tell if a friend is too late?
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Speeches that deviate from the ubiquitous laundry list of thank yous always get more attention, whether they’re political or not, for the simple reason that they’re so dang unusual.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 13, 2026
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
The 77th Primetime Emmys Awards generated another slate of viral moments, from cash awards for short speeches to history-making wins and heartfelt thank yous.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2025
They kissed and exchanged I love yous; Joe shuffled to the door.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 6, 2023
There’s always a footnote to her I love yous.
From "Hello, Universe" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Thank you to Ethan Tobman for your insightful production design, and bringing that feeling to life.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
A buffet of bite-size videos: TikTok is awash in vertical dramas, a new form of entertainment intended to be watched exclusively on your phone.
From Slate ● Sep. 28, 2026
"When you've been married for 50 years you don't want your husband in Edinburgh and you in Oban," she said.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
If you aren’t communicating your preferences early and often, they might not know that this is a financial stress for you.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026
“La, what happened? What made you panic? That hasn’t happened since your mom.”
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
As always, I hope you and yours are well.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026
It’s cozy and low-effort enough to make on repeat for just you and yours, but substantial — and just showy enough — to answer a last-minute “Come over for dinner!” text, too.
From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026
But they’re not going to figure out an account is yours if there’s genuinely nothing connecting it to you.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
In July, outgoing prime minister Sir Keir Starmer issued a formal apology to those mothers, telling them: "The shame is not yours... the shame is ours."
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026
“Who is she to decide such matters? It is yours, is it not?”
From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young
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.
