he

¹ American  

[hee, ee] / hi, i /

pronoun

NOMINATIVE

he,

POSSESSIVE

his,

OBJECTIVE

him,

PLURAL_NOMINATIVE

they,

POSSESSIVE

their, theirs,

OBJECTIVE

them

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.

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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 American  

[hey] / heɪ /

Or heh

noun

1. the fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

2. any of the sounds represented by this letter.

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He ³ American  

Symbol, Chemistry.

1. helium.

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HE ⁴ American  

Or H.E.

1. high explosive.

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H.E. ⁵ American  

abbreviation

1. high explosive. Also HE

2. His Eminence.

3. His Excellency; Her Excellency.

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he ¹ British  

/ iː, hiː /

pronoun

1. refers to a male person or animal

   he looks interesting

   he's a fine stallion

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

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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 ² British  

abbreviation

1. high explosive

2. His Eminence

3. His ( or Her) Excellency

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He ³ British  

symbol

1. helium

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he ⁴ British  

/ he, heɪ /

noun

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

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he ⁵ British  

/ hiː, heɪ /

interjection

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

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Grammar

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. See also they .

Etymology

Origin of he¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English hē; cognate with Dutch hij, Old Saxon hē, Old High German her; her , here ( def. ), it ¹

Origin of he²

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

Example Sentences

Ben Aneff, managing partner at the wine store, said his distributors warned earlier this year that European wines, like the bestselling French Sancerre and Burgundy, will be more expensive next year.

From The Wall Street Journal

As the new president continues his flurry of executive orders, the world’s leaders, U.S. chief executives and lawmakers navigate changes touching healthcare, schools and the global supply chain.

From The Wall Street Journal

Speaking to the Belgian parliament Thursday, de Wever said he was open to compromise if Belgium receives tight, binding commitments to ensure that it won’t be left on the hook.

From The Wall Street Journal

The scale of that burning is intimidating, but Hansen and his colleagues say there are several ways to make progress.

From Science Daily

On Tuesday, he too told a crowd in Pennsylvania that he gives them an “A-plus-plus-plus.”

From Salon

Related Words

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