he/she

American  

[hee-shee] / ˈhiˈʃi /

1. a combined form used as a singular nominative pronoun to denote someone either male or female.

   Each student may begin when he/she is ready.

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Gender

Is he gender-neutral? See he ¹.

Etymology

Origin of he/she

First recorded in 1975–80

Example Sentences

The indicator’s creator reported that it had a better track record predicting the U.S. stock market’s 10-year return than any of the other valuation indicators of which he/she was aware.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 27, 2026

It says school officials “should not consent to access by an immigration enforcement officer unless he/she declares exigent circumstances or has a federal judicial warrant.”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 4, 2025

If the patient only requires a small amount of the therapeutic protein, then he/she will only take a small dose of tetracycline, which will turn on the therapeutic gene only a little.

From Science Daily • Jan. 2, 2024

The ethics panel, in its May 4 opinion, concluded that a judge in Merchan’s situation “may continue to preside in the matter provided the judge believes he/she can be fair and impartial.”

From Seattle Times • Aug. 14, 2023

And not only on this problem, but on every issue he/she has taken on in the past week.

From "The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl" by Stacy McAnulty