Meaning

(the third-person plural nominative) A group of entities previously mentioned..

Definitions by Sense

1. (the third-person plural nominative) A group of entities previously mentioned.
2. (the third-person singular nominative, occasionally proscribed) A single person, previously mentioned, whose gender is unknown, irrelevant, or (since 20th c.) non-binary.
3. (indefinite pronoun, vague meaning) People; some people; people in general; someone, excluding the speaker.
4. (indefinite pronoun) The authorities, the (power) elites, the powers that be, the establishment, the man, the system: government, police, employers, etc.
5. (bridge) The opponents of the side which is keeping score.
6. (now Southern England dialect or nonstandard) The, those.
7. (US dialects, including African-American Vernacular) Their.
8. (transitive) To refer to (someone, sometimes especially someone who does not use gender-neutral pronouns) using they/them pronouns.

Example Sentences

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.

Somebody requested a seat at Friday's performance but didn't say if they preferred the balcony or the floor.

Word Forms

• them
• their
• theirs
• themselves
• themself
• They
• dey
• thay
• theye
• thaay
• the
• theys
• theying
• theyed

Antonyms for they

Related Words

When Should You Use They?

Use they when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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Frequently Asked Questions