- objective of thou.
you
Americanpronoun
-
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.
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(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.
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Archaic.
-
yourself; yourselves.
Get you home. Make you ready.
-
a plural form of the pronoun ye.
-
noun
-
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
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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
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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:
“Every single combat use gives you some sort of data, so that’s very useful for the Iranians.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
"It's an experience, you know, I would be happy to do without it, but everybody's been very kind here, very good, so we have to be thankful."
From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026
“There’s a rate impact if you do more,” Collins said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
"Next season we have a lot more games, which is what you want at a big club," he said at the time.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
When she sees Father Julien, she stops him and whispers, “Do you have anything you shouldn’t have?”
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
It's a rare flash of humour from the frontman, whose onstage utterings are mostly limited to mumbled "thank yous".
From BBC ● Nov. 21, 2025
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
“No, no. Don’t put out those candles yet. Bring the girls in. I wanna tell yous about the rogarou tonight.”
From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline
Working out, sticking with hobbies, going on trips, setting goals, nurturing your relationships both at home and beyond, etc.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
“It’s just not going to get any better. Don’t throw away your ticket stubs. I’m gonna figure something out, OK? Just hold onto it, we’ll figure out how to reschedule.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
Congress, the American people, or any of your allies.
From Slate ● Jul. 25, 2026
"This is not fair. You can't be hostage in your own home. This is our farm. This is our home."
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
“Well, your dad showed me a video of your last recital. And he’s right; you’re really talented,” she says.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
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 cleats Shohei Ohtani wore during the Dodgers’ 2025 season opener in Japan could be yours if you’re willing to part with about $1 million.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
Hathaway, 43, had recently announced her pregnancy on Instagram, with the caption: “x Baby, I’m yours x.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
"And what business would that be of yours?"
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
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.
