she

¹

[ shee ]

pronoun

objective: herpossessive: their or theirssingular nominative: sheobjective: thempossessive: her or hersplural nominative: they

1. the female person or animal being discussed or last mentioned; that female.
2. the woman:

   She who listens learns.

3. anything considered, as by personification, to be feminine:

   spring, with all the memories she conjures up.

noun

, plural shes.

1. a female person or animal.
2. an object or device considered as female or feminine.

s/he

²

[ shee-er-hee, shee-hee ]

pronoun

1. she or he: used as an orthographic device to avoid a gender-specific pronoun when the gender of the antecedent is unknown or irrelevant.

she

/ ʃiː /

pronoun

1. refers to a female person or animal

   she's a fine mare

   she is a doctor

2. refers to things personified as feminine, such as cars, ships, and nations
3. See it
   an informal word for it 1

   she'll be right

   she's apples

noun

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

      she-cat

Gender Note

See he ¹, me, they.

Usage

See me 1

Word History and Origins

Origin of she¹

1125–75; Middle English, alteration of Old English sēo, sīo, sīe, feminine of se the ¹; replacing Old English hēo, hīo, feminine personal pronoun; he ¹, her

Word History and Origins

Origin of she¹

Old English sīe, accusative of sēo, feminine demonstrative pronoun

Example Sentences

And without physical evidence, cases often come down to “he said/she said.”

From The Daily Beast

They would later be dubbed a “bloodthirsty” “lesbian she-wolf pack” and—most famously—“a seething, Sapphic septet.”

From The Daily Beast

This is just one voter out of many, naturally, but he/she has enough to say for an army.

From The Daily Beast

No he-said-she-said, no muffled sounds through the dorm ceiling, no “Maybe he has other issues.”

From The Daily Beast

On the term “she-male,” GLAAD has issued similar condemnations.

From The Daily Beast

Sometimes far up in the hills a she-fox would bark, or some too-aged tree of the forest would come down with a booming crash.

From Project Gutenberg

She was very angry with Crozier, for it was absurd, that look of deprecating homage, that "Hush-she-is-coming" in his eyes.

From Project Gutenberg

The males have nearly an equal vehement desire for the female mule, the she-ass, and the mare.

From Project Gutenberg

A too strong ardour is often attended with sterility; and the female mule is at least as ardent as the she-ass.

From Project Gutenberg

The he and she-ass, therefore, both incline to sterility by common and also by different qualities.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

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