he

¹

[ hee; unstressed ee ]

pronoun

objective: themobjective: himnominative: hepossessive: their or theirspossessive: hisplural nominative: they

1. the male person or animal being discussed or last mentioned; that male.
2. anyone (without reference to gender); that person:

   He who hesitates is lost.

noun

, plural hes.

1. any male person or animal; a man:

   hes and shes.

adjective

1. male (usually used in combination):

   a he-goat.

he

²

or heh

[ hey ]

noun

1. the fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
2. any of the sounds represented by this letter.

He

³

Symbol, Chemistry.

1. helium.

HE

⁴

or H.E.

1. high explosive.

H.E.

⁵

abbreviation for

1. high explosive. Also HE
2. His Eminence.
3. His Excellency; Her Excellency.

HE

¹

abbreviation for

1. high explosive
2. His Eminence
3. His ( or Her) Excellency

he

²

/ he; heɪ /

noun

1. the fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet (ה), transliterated as h

he

³

/ hiː; heɪ /

interjection

1. an expression of amusement or derision Alsohe-he!hee-hee!

he

⁴

/ iː; hiː /

pronoun

1. refers to a male person or animal

   he's a fine stallion

   he looks interesting

2. refers to an indefinite antecedent such as one, whoever, or anybody

   everybody can do as he likes in this country

3. refers to a person or animal of unknown or unspecified sex

   a member of the party may vote as he sees fit

noun

1. 1. a male person or animal
   2. ( in combination )

      he-goat

2. 1. a children's game in which one player chases the others in an attempt to touch one of them, who then becomes the chaser Compare tag 2
   2. the person chasing Compare it 1

He

⁵

the chemical symbol for

1. helium

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.

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 ), it ¹none

Origin of he²

From Hebrew hē; cognate with Arabic hāʾ hā ( def )

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

Example Sentences

"Carlos gave Lewis a Ferrari" implies contrast with other possible cars -- he could have given Lewis a Mercedes.

From Science Daily

But "Carlos gave Lewis a Ferrari" implies contrast with other people -- he could have given Alexandra a Ferrari.

From Science Daily

He is also the director of the Arizona Cancer Evolution Center.

From Science Daily

When I said I was climbing, he texted back, “Who are you climbing with?”

From Los Angeles Times

He was cute and had a nice profile depicting a clean-cut, slightly geeky guy.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• I
• it
• she
• sie
• they
• ve
• xe
• you
• ze
• zie