we

[ wee ]

plural pronoun

objective: uspossessive: our or ours

1. nominative plural of I.
2. (used to denote oneself and another or others):

   We have two children. In this block we all own our own houses.

3. (used to denote people in general):

   the marvels of science that we take for granted.

4. (used to indicate a particular profession, nationality, political party, etc., that includes the speaker or writer):

   We in the medical profession have moral responsibilities.

5. Also called the royal we. (used by a sovereign, or by other high officials and dignitaries, in place of I in formal speech):

   We do not wear this crown without humility.

6. Also called the editorial we. (used by editors, writers, etc., to avoid the too personal or specific I or to represent a collective viewpoint):

   As for this column, we will have nothing to do with shady politicians.

7. you (used familiarly, often with mild condescension or sarcasm, as in addressing a child, a patient, etc.):

   We know that's naughty, don't we? It's time we took our medicine.

8. (used in the predicate following a copulative verb):

   It is we who should thank you.

9. (used in apposition with a noun, especially for emphasis):

   We Americans are a sturdy lot.

we

/ wiː /

pronoun

1. refers to the speaker or writer and another person or other people

   we should go now

2. refers to all people or people in general

   the planet on which we live

3. 1. when used by editors or other writers, and formerly by monarchs, a formal word for I 1
   2. ( as noun )

      he uses the royal we in his pompous moods

4. informal.
   used instead of you with a tone of persuasiveness, condescension, or sarcasm

   how are we today?

Word History and Origins

Origin of we¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English wē; cognate with Dutch wij, German wir, Old Norse vēr, Gothic weis

Word History and Origins

Origin of we¹

Old English wē, related to Old Saxon wī, Old High German wir, Old Norse vēr, Danish, Swedish vi, Sanskrit vayam

Example Sentences

"An effective cure will need to reach people around the world, and by leveraging traditional African ethnomedicine, we're making progress toward a cure with accessibility in mind."

From Science Daily

"We can see a clear link between long-term use -- five years or more -- of these drugs and reduced risk of dementia in older age," says Mozhu Ding, assistant professor at the Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, and one of the lead authors of the paper.

From Science Daily

"Previous studies have focused on individual drugs and specific patient groups but in this study, we take a broader approach," says Alexandra Wennberg, affiliated researcher at the Institute of Environmental Medicine and the other lead author of the paper.

From Science Daily

"We currently have no cure for dementia, so it's important to find preventive measures," says Alexandra Wennberg.

From Science Daily

"The reference genome was like a dictionary when we announced it," Ma said.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• they
• you