Showing results for "they"

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

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Definitions

they

[they] / ðeɪ /

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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.

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they them their theirs

Seven retirees open up about their finances and how they spend their time.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026

By comparing the modern climate with several centuries of past conditions, they were also able to judge how unusual the current weakening of Indian and Pacific Ocean coupling really is.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 13, 2026

Ask people to scrutinize food companies, labels and regulatory assumptions, and eventually they will scrutinize the regulators, too.

From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026

They added that they "quickly informed UK law enforcement and took swift action."

From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026

"Strep" bacteria live on nearly everything people touch but are only dangerous if they can penetrate the body's defenses and overpower the immune system.

From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman

Seven retirees opened up to us about their finances, the tax breaks they gained, the costs that surprised them and how their new ZIP Codes changed their lives.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026

Once the yeast-derived ingredients have been produced, researchers combine them with fiber, starch, and sweetener.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 13, 2026

The chain told customers that the affected Taylor Farms lettuce had been removed and invited them, with almost startling confidence, to come back.

From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026

"Today and every day, about 14,000 older people are occupying hospital beds when they are medically fit to leave, and it's often because of a lack of social care for them at home," she added.

From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026

The mission of the Peace Corps is to promote world peace by sending trained volunteers to countries that need them.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

Another earnings season is just around the corner, and more companies than usual have had upbeat expectations, while their executives are also a bit less preoccupied with inflation.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 13, 2026

Both countries have appealed the ruling freezing their funds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026

"Microbes are very clever. So, we are using their traits to solve the problems we created."

From Science Daily ● Sep. 13, 2026

Perhaps these international festivals are testing their own waters to see if they’re obliged to invite Americans to their party.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026

Phineas's excited men crowd alongside, walking next to their injured boss.

From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman

And here, Walker and Auen offer theirs, fashioning academia into a key that opens a portal to the past, present and future.

From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2026

On 4 August 170 people had to be rescued after theirs caught fire in the middle of the Channel.

From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026

They likely won’t be too pleased if Nvidia also uses its chips to create and deploy cheaper open-weight models that compete with theirs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

Perhaps to their point, you aren’t burdened by your own children — don’t allow yourself to be burdened by theirs.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026

Only when he’d licked his bowl did he notice that Fin-Kedinn and Saeunn had hardly touched theirs.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

they

Frequently Asked Questions

Example Sentences

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