What is "they"

She \She\, pron. [sing. nom. She; poss. Her. or Hers; obj. Her; pl. nom. They; poss. Theiror Theirs; obj. Them.] [OE. she, sche, scheo, scho, AS. se['o], fem. of the definite article, originally a demonstrative pronoun; cf. OS. siu, D. zij, G. sie, OHG. siu, s[=i], si, Icel. s[=u], sj[=a], Goth. si she, s[=o], fem. article, Russ. siia, fem., this, Gr. ?, fem. article, Skr. s[=a], sy[=a]. The possessive her or hers, and the objective her, are from a different root. See Her.]

1. This or that female; the woman understood or referred to; the animal of the female sex, or object personified as feminine, which was spoken of.

   She loved her children best in every wise.
   --Chaucer.

   Then Sarah denied, . . . for she was afraid.
   --Gen. xviii. 15.

2. A woman; a female; -- used substantively. [R.]

   Lady, you are the cruelest she alive.
   --Shak.

   Note: She is used in composition with nouns of common gender, for female, to denote an animal of the female sex; as, a she-bear; a she-cat.

He \He\ (h[=e]), pron. [nom. He; poss. His (h[i^]z); obj. Him (h[i^]m); pl. nom. They ([th][=a]); poss. Their or Theirs ([th][^a]rz or [th][=a]rz); obj. Them ([th][e^]m).] [AS. h[=e], masc., he['o], fem., hit, neut.; pl. h[=i], or hie, hig; akin to OFries. hi, D. hij, OS. he, hi, G. heute to-day, Goth. himma, dat. masc., this, hina, accus. masc., and hita, accus. neut., and prob. to L. his this. [root]183. Cf. It.]

1. The man or male being (or object personified to which the masculine gender is assigned), previously designated; a pronoun of the masculine gender, usually referring to a specified subject already indicated.

   Thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
   --Gen. iii. 16.

   Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God; him shalt thou serve.
   --Deut. x. 20.

2. Any one; the man or person; -- used indefinitely, and usually followed by a relative pronoun.

   He that walketh with wise men shall be wise.
   --Prov. xiii. 20.

3. Man; a male; any male person; -- in this sense used substantively.
   --Chaucer.

   I stand to answer thee, Or any he, the proudest of thy sort.
   --Shak.

   Note: When a collective noun or a class is referred to, he is of common gender. In early English, he referred to a feminine or neuter noun, or to one in the plural, as well as to noun in the masculine singular. In composition, he denotes a male animal; as, a he-goat.

They \They\ ([th][=a]), pron. pl.; poss. Theirs; obj. Them. [Icel. [thorn]eir they, properly nom. pl. masc. of s[=a], s[=u], [thorn]at, a demonstrative pronoun, akin to the English definite article, AS. s[=e], se['o], [eth][ae]t, nom. pl. [eth][=a]. See That.] The plural of he, she, or it. They is never used adjectively, but always as a pronoun proper, and sometimes refers to persons without an antecedent expressed.

Jolif and glad they went unto here [their] rest And casten hem [them] full early for to sail.
--Chaucer.

They of Italy salute you.
--Heb. xiii. 24.

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness.
--Matt. v. 6.

Note: They is used indefinitely, as our ancestors used man, and as the French use on; as, they say (French on dit), that is, it is said by persons not specified.

c.1200, from a Scandinavian source (Old Norse þeir, Old Danish, Old Swedish þer, þair), originally masculine plural demonstrative pronoun, from Proto-Germanic *thai, nominative plural pronoun, from PIE *to-, demonstrative pronoun (see that). Gradually replaced Old English hi, hie, plurals of he, heo "she," hit "it" by c.1400. Colloquial use for "anonymous people in authority" is attested from 1886. They say for "it is said" is in Milton.\n\nThe most important importation of this kind [from Scandinavian to English] was that of the pronomial forms they, them and their, which entered readily into the system of English pronouns beginning with the same sound (the, that, this) and were felt to be more distinct than the old native forms which they supplanted. Indeed these were liable to constant confusion with some forms of the singular number (he, him, her) after the vowels has become obscured, so that he and hie, him and heom, her (hire) and heora could no longer be kept easily apart.

[Jespersen, "Growth and Structure of the English Language"]

det. (context archaic or dialectal English) those (used for people) pron. 1 (context the third-person plural English) A group of people, animals(,) or objects previously mentioned. (since the 1200s) 2 (context the third-person singular sometimes proscribed English) A single person, previously mentioned, especially if of unknown or non-binary gender. (since the 1300s)

They is the third-person plural personal pronoun ( subjective case) in Modern English. It can also be used with singular meaning, particularly in informal contexts, sometimes to avoid specifying the gender of the person referred to.

"They" is a short story written by American science fiction author Robert A. Heinlein. It was first published in the April 1941 issue of Unknown, and can be found in Heinlein's short story collection The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag. It also appears in a number of multi-author anthologies.

They is the second album by avant-garde band King Missile, released in 1988.

They is a 1917 poem by the English soldier and poet Siegfried Sassoon published in The Old Huntsman and Other Poems. It disparages the attitude of the established church to the Great War.

The first verse of the poem tells of a bishop's speech about the noble sacrifice of the soldiers, and in particular mentions his view that "they lead the last attack / On Anti-Christ". The second verse contrasts with the soldiers' reply, telling of the woes of four common soldiers; the bishop replies that "The ways of God are strange!"

The poem is still under copyright in some countries. It is currently in the public domain in the United States because it was published before 1923, but will only become public domain in most countries after 2038 (author's death + 70).

They (also known as Wes Craven Presents: They) is a 2002 American supernatural horror film directed by Robert Harmon. The plot centers on a group of four adults named Julia Lund, Sam Burnside, Terry Alba, and Billy Parks and their experience with the phenomenon of night terrors and the impact they had on their lives as children and how they come back to haunt them as adults.

The film was produced by Ted Field, Tom Engleman, and Wes Craven who served as executive producer. The film stars Laura Regan, Ethan Embry, Dagmara Dominczyk, Jay Brazeau, and Marc Blucas. The title is a reference to the fact that the creatures are only referred to as "They" as their origins are ambiguous. The film was a box office bomb and had lukewarm reviews from critics.

"They" is the first single released by Jem from her debut album Finally Woken. It includes a sample of the Swingle Singers' 1963 adaptation of Johann Sebastian Bach's Prelude in F minor (BWV 881) from Book II of Well-Tempered Clavier from their album Jazz Sebastian Bach.

The song became her most popular single, peaking at #6 on the UK Singles Chart. "They" was used in TV series like Crossing Jordan and Grey's Anatomy. Taiwanese pop singer Jolin Tsai recorded a Chinese version of the song, titled "Paradise" , for using in an advertisement promoting Motorola mobile phones. "They" is also the title song for the hit MTV show The X Effect and formerly featured on a Pantene shampoo advertisement in the UK.

They (also known as They Watch or Children of the Mist) is a 1993 television film about the supernatural. A father loses his daughter in a car accident after missing her ballet recital. However, with the help of a mysterious old lady he is able to communicate with her spirit. It is based on an early-1900s (decade) short story by Rudyard Kipling.

They is a third-person, personal pronoun

They may also refer to: