they
Part of speech: pron
verb
Morphological type: simple
Topics: bridge
games
Etymology: Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *tóy
Proto-Germanic *þai
Proto-Norse *ᚦᚨᛁᛉ (*þaiʀ)
Old Norse þeirbor.
Middle English þei
English they
From Middle English þei, borrowed in the 1200s from Old Norse þeir, plural of the demonstrative sá which acted as a plural pronoun. Displaced native Middle English he from Old English hīe — which vowel changes had left indistinct from he (“he”) — by the 1400s, being readily incorporated alongside native words beginning with the same sound (the, that, this). Used as a singular pronoun since 1300, e.g. in the 1325 Cursor Mundi.
The Norse term (whence also Icelandic þeir (“they”), Faroese teir (“they”), Danish de (“they”), Swedish de (“they”), Norwegian Nynorsk dei (“they”)) is from Proto-Germanic *þai (“those”) (from Proto-Indo-European *to- (“that”)), whence also Old English þā (“those”) (whence obsolete English tho), Scots thae, thai, thay (“they; those”), Swabian dia (“they”).
The origin of the determiner they (“the, those”) is unclear. The OED, English Dialect Dictionary and Middle English Dictionary define it and its Middle English predecessor thei as a demonstrative determiner or adjective meaning “those” or “the”. This could be a continuation of the use of the English pronoun they's Old Norse etymon þeir as a demonstrative meaning “those”, but the OED and EDD say it is limited to southern, especially southwestern, England, specifically outside the region of Norse contact.
Inflected forms:
form: them
pos: pron
tags: objective
form: their
pos: pron
tags: possessive
form: theirs
pos: pron
tags: noun
possessive
form: themselves
pos: pron
tags: reflexive
form: themself
pos: pron
tags: reflexive
singular
form: They
pos: pron
tags: alternative
form: dey
pos: pron
tags: alternative
form: thay
pos: pron
tags: alternative
form: theye
pos: pron
tags: alternative
form: thaay
pos: pron
tags: alternative
form: theye
pos: pron
tags: alternative
form: theys
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: theying
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: theyed
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: theyed
pos: verb
tags: past
Senses:
gloss: A group of entities previously mentioned.
pos: pron
tags: nominative
plural
singular
sometimes
third-person
usually
examples: Fred and Jane? They just arrived.
Dogs may bark if they want to be fed.
Plants wilt if they are not watered.
I have a car and a truck, but they are both broken.
But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none; And they that weep, as though they wept not; And they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; And they that buy, as though they possessed not; And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away
[…]purſued his vnneighbourly purpoſe in ſuch ſort: that hee being the ſtronger perſwader, and ſhe (belike) too credulous in beleeuing or elſe ouer-feeble in reſiſting, from priuate imparlance, they fell to action; and continued their cloſe fight a long while together, vnſeene and vvithout ſuſpition, no doubt to their equall ioy and contentment.
There is no reason to be scared of iguanas. They do not attack humans.
gloss: A single person, previously mentioned, whose gender is unknown, irrelevant, or (since 20th c.) non-binary.
pos: pron
tags: nominative
plural
singular
sometimes
third-person
usually
examples: Somebody requested a seat at Friday's performance but didn't say if they preferred the balcony or the floor.
Who says they care? —He himself does.
If someone enters the restricted area, they are required to present identification.
I asked my friend if they wanted to come, but they said no.
One of the boys tripped over, and they hit their head on the door.
Then shalt thou bring forth that man, or that woman (which haue committed that wicked thing) vnto thy gates, euen that man, or that woman, and shalt stone them with stones till they die.
Someone knocked into Harry as they hurried past him. It was Hermione.
One thing a nominee earns is the right to pick the vice president that they think will best reflect their vision of the country, and I am just glad I will have nothing to do with it.
The boycott, led by Elisha Lim, of a Toronto gay and lesbian newspaper after it refused to use their preferred pronoun ["they"], citing grammar considerations, inspired me.
I'm angry that we're here again, that we have had to tell another mother that their child is dead.
Ever since El Martinez started asking to be called by the gender-neutral pronouns “they/them” in the ninth grade, they have fielded skepticism in a variety of forms and from a multitude of sources about what it means to identify as nonbinary.
gloss: People; some people; people in general; someone, excluding the speaker.
pos: pron
tags: indefinite
nominative
plural
pronoun
singular
sometimes
third-person
usually
examples: They say it’s a good place to live.
They didn’t have computers in the old days.
They don't make 'em like they used to.
Always get a second source, they tell us in investigative lexicography;[…]
I am beautiful, no matter what they say
Hurtling through the air that evening in seat 10C, I read the US House committee’s Max investigation, a disruptor of illusions. Like many fliers, I’d long ago made my bargain with risk. I’d taken comfort in statistics, summoned faith in the engineers and assembly workers, the pilots, the system. I’d shunted away the knowledge—paralyzing, if you let it in—that stepping on an airplane is an extraordinary act of trust. Deep in the report, I reached the part about a senior manager at Boeing’s factory in Renton, a guy named Ed Pierson, who seemingly knew what we all know when we soothe ourselves by thinking, They wouldn’t let it fly if it weren’t safe. We’re all relying on someone to be the “they.”
gloss: The authorities, the (power) elites, the powers that be, the establishment, the man, the system: government, police, employers, etc.
pos: pron
tags: indefinite
nominative
plural
pronoun
singular
sometimes
third-person
usually
examples: They'll tax us for the air we breathe next.
They should increase our wages.
Ha, you believe the moon is real? That's just what they want you to think.
gloss: The opponents of the side which is keeping score.
pos: pron
tags: nominative
plural
singular
sometimes
third-person
usually
gloss: To refer to (someone, sometimes especially someone who does not use gender-neutral pronouns) using they/them pronouns.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: I have a pin that says she/her, but I still get theyed all the time.
Related words: us versus them
Ime
me
myselfmemysen
mine
mymineme
we
us
ourselvesourselfoursen
oursourn
our
you
yourselfyoursen
yoursyourn
your
thou
thee
thyselftheeselfthysen
thine
thythine
youye
yourselves
you ally'all you guys yous
y'allselves
all yours y'all's you guys' your guys'
all your y'all's your all's you guys' your guys'
he
him
himselfhisselfhissen
hishisn
his
she
her
herselfhersen
hershern
ithit
itselfhitself
itshis
itshishits
them
themself
themselves
theirs
their
one
oneself
–
one's
themhem
'em
themselvestheirsen
theirstheirn
The following table shows a list of English personal pronoun
including archaic and dialectal forms. Dialectal and obsolete
archaic forms are in italics. 1 See Appendix:English third-person singular pronouns for attested neopronoun.
other attested third-person singular pronouns
theirselves
theirself
Derived words: as they come
as they say
generic they
if pigs had wings, they would fly
it doesn't matter what they say about you as long as they spell your name right
let the chips fall where they may
let the dice fall where they may
that's why they play the game
theyby
they don't make them like that anymore
theydy
theyfab
theyfriend
they hate us 'cause they ain't us
they hit the Pentagon
theymab
they say
they-uns
thussy
will-they-won't-they
Translations: