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View synonyms for he
pronoun
objective: themobjective: himnominative: hepossessive: their or theirspossessive: hisplural nominative: they
the male person or animal being discussed or last mentioned; that male.
anyone (without reference to gender); that person:
He who hesitates is lost.
any male person or animal; a man:
hes and shes.
adjective
male (usually used in combination):
a he-goat.
noun
the fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
any of the sounds represented by this letter.
abbreviation for
His Excellency; Her Excellency.
abbreviation for
the chemical symbol for
/ iː; hiː /
pronoun
refers to a male person or animal
he's a fine stallion
he looks interesting
refers to an indefinite antecedent such as one, whoever, or anybody
everybody can do as he likes in this country
refers to a person or animal of unknown or unspecified sex
a member of the party may vote as he sees fit
/ he; heɪ /
noun
the fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet (ה), transliterated as h
/ hiː; heɪ /
interjection
an expression of amusement or derision
Alsohe-he!hee-hee!
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Grammar Note
Traditionally, the masculine singular pronouns
he,
his,
and
him
have been used generically to refer to indefinite pronouns like anyone, everyone, and someone ( Everyone who agrees should raise his right hand ) and to singular nouns that can be applied to either gender ( painter, parent, person, teacher, writer, etc.):
Every writer knows that his first book is not likely to be a bestseller.
This generic use is often criticized as sexist, although many speakers and writers continue the practice.
Those who object to the generic use of
he
have developed various ways of avoiding it. One is to use
he/she
or
she/he
(or he or she or she or he ) or the appropriate case forms of these pairs:
Everyone who agrees should raise his or her
(or her or his or his/her or her/his ) right hand. Forms blending the feminine and masculine pronouns, as s/he, have not been widely adopted, probably because of confusion over how to say them.
Another solution is to change the antecedent pronoun or noun from singular to plural so that the plural pronouns
they,
their,
and
them
can be used:
All who agree should raise their right hands. All writers know that their first books are not likely to be bestsellers.
they none.
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Word History and Origins
Origin of he1
First recorded before
900; Middle English, Old English hē; cognate with Dutch hij, Old Saxon hē, Old High German her;
her none,
here ( def ),
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Word History and Origins
Origin of he1
Old English hē; related to Old Saxon hie, Old High German her he, Old Slavonic sĭ this, Latin cis on this side
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Example Sentences
The decision is a small but temporary setback for Trump and his lawyers,
Voletta Wallace, the mother of the late rapper Notorious B.I.G. who worked to elevate his short-lived but influential career to hip-hop greatness, has died.
Thirty years after his breakout as a Sundance darling with “The Brothers McMullen,” Edward Burns may have faded from view as an indie troubadour of middle-class mores, family fractures and romantic entanglements.
It is unclear how engaged Grenell has been on the federal disaster response, despite Trump naming him as the administration’s designated lead to the crisis during his visit to Los Angeles last month.
But because he is considered a youthful offender, Eis will be eligible for a parole hearing after serving 24 years in prison, prosecutor Amber Lee said in an interview.