Showing results for "they"

nominative plural of he.
nominative plural of it.
nominative plural of she.

Definitions

they

[they] / ðeɪ /

Jump To:

nominative plural pronoun pron.
nominative singular pronoun pron.

PRONOUN

nominative plural pronoun

Synonyms

STRONGEST

we you

PRONOUN

nominative singular pronoun

Synonyms

STRONGEST

I he it she sie ve xe you ze zie

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a synonym for they?

We don’t traditionally think of they as having synonyms, but there are several situations in which it can replace—or be replaced with—another word, phrase, or series of words. Plural people and things They is perhaps most commonly used as a plural pronoun referring to multiple people, as in Seven people made reservations, and they all showed up at the same time. It can also refer to multiple things, as in I moved the packages so they wouldn’t fall off the table. A singular person They also has a long history of being used to refer to an unspecified individual or to a person whose gender and other personal details are unknown or irrelevant, as in If a student is absent, they must bring in a note when they return to school. Sentences like this sometimes use constructions like he or she, but the use of they has become very common in such instances, with many people preferring they as less awkward and more inclusive. Nonbinary gender expression A use of they that has become more widespread is as a personal pronoun for those who identify as nonbinary or whose gender identity exists between or beyond the spectrum of strictly male or female. Grammatically, it’s used in the same way as the gender-specific terms like he and she, but it’s gender-neutral. You can learn more about this below. themselves In some cases, the word themselves is used as another way of saying they or another form of it. It’s sometimes used in place of they or them after the words as, than, and but, as in They saw girls no older than themselves. It can also be used as an emphatic form of they or them, as in They—the students themselves—wrote the lesson. Singular forms include themself or theirself.

What word can I use instead of they?

They is commonly used as a way to refer to people in general, as in They say that place is haunted. In cases like this, you could replace they with people or any number of similar terms. Or you could avoid using it by constructing the sentence in a more passive way, such as That place is said to be haunted.

What does it mean to use they/them pronouns?

When someone requests to be referred to with they/them pronouns, it means they don’t use the pronouns typically associated with male and female gender identities, like he/him and she/her. Such people may identify as nonbinary or in a number of other ways. Other forms of they are often used along with singular, nonbinary they and them, such as their and themself. How to use they/them pronouns Grammatically speaking, when they is used as a singular pronoun, it still takes a plural verb—are or were, as in They are my favorite person or Any employee who missed the training while they were on vacation still needs to complete it. We do the same thing when we use the singular you with are or were. Interpersonally speaking, the right way to use they/them pronouns is the way that the person you’re referring to prefers them to be used. In some cases, people use other gender-neutral pronouns, such as ze. Some people whose gender identity is fluid or encompasses multiple genders may use a mix of pronouns, such as she/they or they/he, among others.

What kind of pronoun is they?

They is a personal pronoun. It can be either singular or plural. Pronouns are used as substitutes for nouns—they’re another way of referring to a noun without using a specific name. Personal pronouns are used to refer to the one communicating, to the one being addressed, or the one being talked about. In terms of its grammatical function, they is a nominative pronoun, meaning that it’s generally used as the subject of a sentence—the one doing the action—as opposed to the object (the one on the receiving end of some action). The objective form of they is them, as in They asked me to drive them home. They is categorized as a third person pronoun (like he, she, him, her, and them), meaning that it’s used to refer to anyone other than the person doing the addressing or the ones being addressed. In contrast, first person pronouns (like I and me) refer to the speaker or writer themselves. Second person pronouns (you and its other forms) address the person being spoken to or reading. In literature, third-person point of view is a common form of narration in which the events of the story are told using the third person.

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:

they them their theirs

Worried investors are offloading Treasurys as they grow frustrated with the expanding U.S. debt load, the government’s borrowing needs and mounting corporate-debt issuance.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026

I’m most proud of promoting people before they even thought they were ready.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

What Gen and Casey want is to enjoy these things for the personal thrills they offer.

From Salon ● Aug. 18, 2026

Team GB would go on to win bronze at the Tokyo Olympics, but from Paris in 2024 they left empty-handed, the first Games since 2008 the British women's squad had not won an Olympic medal.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

Joey soon learns that her condition has been revealed and the doctor has contacted the authorities, which means they will be on their way to take her to a leprosarium.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

In the first, where inflation pressures eased soon, “most” Fed officials said they could hold interest rates steady and eventually ease them.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026

Harvey said it doesn’t default to open-weight models and that customers only access them if they opt in.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

No 16-year-old should be so strictly confined to a routine that prevents them from actually living their life.

From Salon ● Aug. 18, 2026

In June, three ICC judges also sued the administration in a New York federal court over sanctions imposed on them last year, arguing the measures were unlawful.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

Many of them aren’t sure what that means.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

A flood of long-duration corporate bonds from “hyperscalers” to fund their data-center buildouts has been making the problem worse, she said.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026

Klarna shares had their worst day since February.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

No 16-year-old should be so strictly confined to a routine that prevents them from actually living their life.

From Salon ● Aug. 18, 2026

Sheetal Swali and Ketan Swali, in their 50s, were pronounced dead at the scene after a light aircraft they were in was found at a remote location close to Trawsfynydd, Gwynedd.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

The patients were not only deprived of basic needs; they were also deprived of their identities.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

“We have the ability to accept costs because our resources are great. Iran does not, because theirs are few,” said Barry Posen, a political science professor at MIT.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

The bakery said: "Every shop that reopens means jobs restored, a unit back in use and footfall returning to the high street, which we believe serves everyone's interests: ours, theirs and the wider local economy's."

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

France has seen its worst fires in two decades, while officials in the Spanish capital Madrid say theirs are the worst the region has ever experienced.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

What the note points out is that workers in highly exposed occupations are finding it harder to transition to other jobs once they have lost theirs.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026

Dionysius didn’t have a zero, so he started the calendar with year 1, just as the ancients before him had started theirs.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

they

Frequently Asked Questions

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Related Words