him

We don’t traditionally think of the word him as having synonyms, but there are several situations in which it can replace—or be replaced with—another word, phrase, or series of words.

he

Sometimes a sentence can be reworded to replace the object him with the equivalent subject he. For example, the question “When do you expect him to arrive?” could be reworded as “When do you expect he will arrive?”

Him is commonly used after linking verbs (like is and was) in sentences like It was him that I saw on the train or It is him in that picture, but sometimes the word he is used in such constructions, such as when saying “This is he” when answering the phone.

himself

In some cases, the word himself is used as another way of saying him. For example, it’s common to say things like He should think for himself. Himself is also sometimes used in place of him after the words as, than, and but, as in He saw at the door a boy no older than himself and He has no one to blame but himself. 

them

Like they, them 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 with them when they return to school. Sentences like this sometimes use constructions like he or she and him or her, but the use of they and them has become very common in such instances, with many people preferring them as less awkward and more inclusive.

Him is used to stand in for more specific words, like Dr. Harris, Jacob, or the pilot. So, if there’s a chance that using him might be confusing (such as when more than one man is mentioned in the sentence), you can always use the name or title of the person instead of using him.

In some situations, it can be considered impolite to refer to someone as he or him when that person is in your presence—especially when you haven’t already acknowledged them or addressed them by name. To avoid this, it’s always best to refer to a person by name, especially when it’s the first time you’re referring to them.

Him is a personal pronoun—it’s the object form of he. 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 speaker (first person), to the person being addressed (second person), or the person being talked about (third person). Him is categorized as a third person pronoun (like he, she, they, her, and them), meaning that it’s used to refer to anyone other than the person doing the communicating or the people being addressed.