their

[ thair; unstressed ther ]
See synonyms for their on Thesaurus.com
pronoun
  1. a form of the possessive case of plural they used as an attributive adjective, before a noun: their home;their rights as citizens;their departure for Rome.

  2. a form of the possessive case of singular they used as an attributive adjective, before a noun:

    • (used to refer to a generic or unspecified person previously mentioned, about to be mentioned, or present in the immediate context): Someone left their book on the table.A parent should read to their child.

    • (used to refer to a specific or known person previously mentioned, about to be mentioned, or present in the immediate context): I’m glad my teacher last year had high expectations for their students.

    • (used to refer to a nonbinary or gender-nonconforming person previously mentioned, about to be mentioned, or present in the immediate context): My cousin Sam is bad at math, but their other grades are good.

Origin of their

1
First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English their(e), ther(e), from Old Norse theirra “their”; replacing Old English thāra, thǣra; cf. they

Grammar notes for their

See he1, me, they.

Words that may be confused with their

Words Nearby their

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use their in a sentence

  • Again Rome had to gasp for breath, and again the two were fiercely locked-their corded arms as tense as serpents.

    A Cumberland Vendetta | John Fox, Jr.
  • We may, however, settle it that Mr. Plan-others-their-work could put all the harvest he ever had in his waistcoat pocket!

    Broken Bread | Thomas Champness
  • Such was the education of the Spartans with regard to one of the greatest of their-kings.

    The Social Contract & Discourses | Jean-Jacques Rousseau
  • Oak, hickory and beech—clean, vast, in-their-prime forest-men—with thorn and dogwood growing between.

    Child and Country | Will Levington Comfort
  • In our desperate state, anything seemed fair in love or war with such hard, worth-their-weight-in-gold people.

    Everyman's Land | C. N. Williamson and A. M. Williamson

British Dictionary definitions for their

their

/ (ðɛə) /


determiner
  1. of, belonging to, or associated in some way with them: their finest hour; their own clothes; she tried to combat their mocking her

  2. belonging to or associated in some way with people in general not including the speaker or people addressed: in many countries they wash their clothes in the river

  1. belonging to or associated in some way with an indefinite antecedent such as one, whoever, or anybody: everyone should bring their own lunch

Origin of their

1
C12: from Old Norse theira (genitive plural); see they, them

their

See they

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012