the

¹

[ stressed thee; unstressed before a consonant thuh; unstressed before a vowel thee ]

definite article

1. (used, especially before a noun, with a specifying or particularizing effect, as opposed to the indefinite or generalizing force of the indefinite article a or an ):

   the book you gave me; Come into the house.

2. (used to mark a proper noun, natural phenomenon, ship, building, time, point of the compass, branch of endeavor, or field of study as something well-known or unique):

   the sun; the Alps; the Queen Elizabeth; the past; the West.

3. (used with or as part of a title):

   the Duke of Wellington; the Reverend John Smith.

4. (used to mark a noun as indicating the best-known, most approved, most important, most satisfying, etc.):

   the skiing center of the U.S.; If you're going to work hard, now is the time.

5. (used to mark a noun as being used generically):

   The dog is a quadruped.

6. (used in place of a possessive pronoun, to note a part of the body or a personal belonging):

   He won't be able to play football until the leg mends.

7. (used before adjectives that are used substantively, to note an individual, a class or number of individuals, or an abstract idea):

   to visit the sick; from the sublime to the ridiculous.

8. (used before a modifying adjective to specify or limit its modifying effect):

   He took the wrong road and drove miles out of his way.

9. (used to indicate one particular decade of a lifetime or of a century):

   the sixties; the Gay Nineties.

10. (one of many of a class or type, as of a manufactured item, as opposed to an individual one):

    Did you listen to the radio last night?

11. enough:

    He saved until he had the money for a new car.

    She didn't have the courage to leave.

12. (used distributively, to note any one separately) for, to, or in each; a or an:

    at one dollar the pound.

the

²

[ before a consonant thuh; before a vowel thee ]

adverb

1. (used to modify an adjective or adverb in the comparative degree and to signify “in or by that,” “on that account,” “in or by so much,” or “in some or any degree”):

   He's been on vacation and looks the better for it.

2. (used in correlative constructions to modify an adjective or adverb in the comparative degree, in one instance with relative force and in the other with demonstrative force, and signifying “by how much … by so much” or “in what degree … in that degree”):

   the more the merrier; The bigger they are, the harder they fall.

the-

³

1. variant of theo- before a vowel:

   thearchy.

the

¹

/ ðiː; ðə; ðɪ /

determiner

1. used preceding a noun that has been previously specified Compare a 1

   the man then opened the door

   the pain should disappear soon

2. used with a qualifying word or phrase to indicate a particular person, object, etc, as distinct from others Compare a 1

   ask the man standing outside

   give me the blue one

3. used preceding certain nouns associated with one's culture, society, or community

   watch the television

   to go to the doctor

   listen to the news

4. used preceding present participles and adjectives when they function as nouns

   the dead salute you

   the singing is awful

5. used preceding titles and certain uniquely specific or proper nouns, such as place names

   the Honourable Edward Brown

   the United States

   the moon

   the Chairman

6. used preceding a qualifying adjective or noun in certain names or titles

   Edward the First

   William the Conqueror

7. used preceding a noun to make it refer to its class generically

   the white seal is hunted for its fur

   this is good for the throat

   to play the piano

8. used instead of my, your, her, etc, with parts of the body

   take me by the hand

9. usually stressed the best, only, or most remarkable

   Harry's is the club in this town

10. used with proper nouns when qualified

    written by the young Hardy

11. another word for per, esp with nouns or noun phrases of cost

    fifty pence the pound

12. facetious.
    my; our

    the wife goes out on Thursdays

13. used preceding a unit of time in phrases or titles indicating an outstanding person, event, etc

    match of the day

    player of the year

the-

²

combining_form

1. a variant of theo-

the

³

/ ðɪ; ðə /

adverb

1. often foll by for used before comparative adjectives or adverbs for emphasis

   she looks the happier for her trip

2. used correlatively before each of two comparative adjectives or adverbs to indicate equality

   the more I see you, the more I love you

   the sooner you come, the better

Pronunciation Note

As shown above, the pronunciation of the definite article the changes, primarily depending on whether the following sound is a consonant or a vowel. Before a consonant sound the pronunciation is [th, uh]: the book, the mountain [th, uh, -book, th, uh, -, moun, -tn]. Before a vowel sound it is usually [th, ee], sometimes [th, i]: the apple, the end [th, ee, or, th, i-, ap, -, uh, l, th, ee, or, th, i-end]. As an emphatic form (“I didn't say a book—I said the book.”) or a citation form (“The word the is a definite article.”), the usual pronunciation is [th, ee], although in both of these uses of the stressed form, [th, ee] is often replaced by [th, uh], especially among younger speakers.

Word History and Origins

Origin of the¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English, uninflected stem of the demonstrative pronoun; that none

Origin of the²

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English thē, thȳ, instrumental case of demonstrative pronoun; that, lest

Word History and Origins

Origin of the¹

Middle English, from Old English thē, a demonstrative adjective that later superseded sē (masculine singular) and sēo, sio (feminine singular); related to Old Frisian thi, thiu, Old High German der, diu

Origin of the²

Old English thī, thӯ, instrumental case of the ¹and that ; related to Old Norse thī, Gothic thei

Related Words

• every