their
Americanpronoun
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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.
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a form of the possessive case of singular they used as an attributive adjective, before a noun.
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(used to refer to a generic or unspecified person previously mentioned, about to be mentioned, or present in the immediate context): A parent should read to their child.
Someone left their book on the table.
A parent should read to their child.
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(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.
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(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.
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determiner
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of, belonging to, or associated in some way with them
their finest hour
their own clothes
she tried to combat their mocking her
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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
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belonging to or associated in some way with an indefinite antecedent such as one, whoever, or anybody
everyone should bring their own lunch
Grammar
Usage
What’s the difference between their, there, and they're? Their is the possessive form of the personal pronoun they, essentially meaning belonging to or possessed by them, as in Is that their car, or ours? There is commonly used to introduce sentences or to indicate where something is, as in It’s over there, next to the window. They're is a contraction of they are. There are many instances in which they’re confused because their pronunciations are exactly the same. (See what we did there?)There are easy ways to remember which spelling is right, and they’re actually built into each word. You can remember that their is the one that’s used to show possession (like his and her) by remembering that it includes the word heir (a person who inherits possessions). When it’s used to indicate location, there functions a lot like here (even though it can mean the opposite), and the word here is right inside of it. The apostrophe in they’re indicates that it’s a combination of two words and signals that it’s the one you want to use when you mean they are. Here’s an example of their, there, and they're used correctly in the same sentence. Example: It’s hard to work as a team in that environment—when they’re in there, they’re their own worst enemies. Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between their, there, and they're.
Etymology
Origin of their
First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English their(e), ther(e), from Old Norse theirra “their”; replacing Old English thāra, thǣra; cf. they
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The Rams will depart for Australia on Tuesday night for their season opener against the San Francisco 49ers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
When foreign tourists visit, their spending is considered an export—and it is less politically sensitive than the export of manufactured goods that is brewing tensions with China’s trade partners.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
Determining where the drones come from, their type and the intention of their operators is difficult.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
Former recruitment consultant Katrina Collier, now an author, speaker and recruiter trainer, is concerned that competition-based recruitment processes that potentially require candidates to give up lots of their time for free can create "economic discrimination".
From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026
They have the capital city in their grip but can’t force it back to life.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
