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Definition: THEY |
THEYObsolete1. The plural of he, she, or it. They is never used adjectively, but always as a pronoun proper, and sometimes refers to persons without an antecedent expressed. |
Date "THEY" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1010. (references) |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Singular they is the use in English of the third person plural pronoun they to refer to a singular person of indeterminate gender. Singular they is common in informal speech and becoming more common in formal speech. It is used because there is no singular gender-neutral pronoun in English that is considered appropriate for people. It may be used in an attempt at non-sexist language, but others use it naturally with no conscious motive.Note that while singular they is semantically singular, it is syntactically plural; thus the singular they takes plural verb forms. While this may seem odd, it is no different from the use of you, which always takes a plural verb form, whether one is addressing one or several persons. However, a singular reflexive "themself" has been heard from time to time. By contrast, singular they still takes singular nouns, as in 'If someone is flying a plane, then they are a pilot'.
Although many attack this usage as an aberration introduced for reasons of political correctness, singular they has a centuries-long history of usage. Several famous authors have used it in their writing, including Jane Austen. However, it is now becoming more popular, and this may be traced to the rise of feminism.
Many grammar and usage guides state that singular they can only be used to refer to an indeterminate person, but it cannot generally be used to refer to a person identified as a particular unique individual, even if that person's gender is unknown. For example, one might say "A person might find themself in a fix" but not "The doctor might find themself..." In the latter case, the most usual thing to do is to recast the sentence in the plural ("Doctors might find themselves...") or second person ("If you're a doctor, you might find yourself...").
Not all people agree with this view. Many conservative grammarians view singular they as inherently ungrammatical. Others feel that there is no reason not to extend singular they to include the transgendered and specific people of unknown gender. This debate is tied in with wider issues of political correctness and equal rights, as well as the extent to which language influences thought (see the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis).
See also:
- Gender-neutral pronouns
- Grammatical gender
- Singular They and Jane Austen
- Gender Neutral Pronoun FAQ on Singular They
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Singular they."
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Excitability | Laisser faire, laisser aller; take things easily, take things as they come; take it easy, rub on, live and let live; take easily, take cooly, take in good part; aequam servare mentem. |
Hope | Catch at a straw, hope against hope, reckon one's chickens before they are hatched, count one's chickens before they are hatched. |
Inactivity | Take it easy, take things as they come; lead an easy life, vegetate, swim with the stream, eat the bread of idleness; loll in the lap of luxury, loll in the lap of indolence; waste time, consume time, kill time, lose time; burn daylight, waste the precious hours. |
Maxim | Adverb: as the saying goes, as the saying is, as they say. |
News | Adverb: as the story goes, as the story runs; as they say, it is said; by telegraph, by wireless. |
Peace | Phrase: the storm blown over; the lion lies down with the lamb; "all quiet on the Potomac"; paritur pax bello; "peace hath her victories no less renowned than war"; "they make a desert and they call it peace". |
Rashness | Reckon one's chickens before they are hatched, count one's chickens before they are hatched, reckon without one's host; catch at straws; trust to a broken reed, lean on a broken reed. |
Uncleanness | Phrase: " they that touch pitch will be defiled ". |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
Crosswords: THEY |
| Specialty definitions using "THEY": People who indicate that they were born in the United States, Puerto Rico, a U.S. Island Area, or abroad of a U.S. citizen parent ♦ Will not when They may. (references) |
| Etymologies containing "THEY": topaz. (references) |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | If we all go for the blonde and block each other, not a single one of us is going to get her. So then we go for her friends, but they will all give us the cold shoulder because no on likes to be second choice (A Beautiful Mind; writing credit: Akiva Goldsman) They are behaved upon (Driving Miss Daisy; writing credit: Alfred Uhry) Evildoers are easier, and they taste better (Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles; writing credit: Anne Rice) No, but this is. They wouldn't take my blood (The Sweet Hereafter; writing credit: Atom Egoyan) A number of the inmates, as tough as they acted during the day, would often cry themself to sleep at night (Sleepers; writing credit: Barry Levinson) | |
Lyrics | For the times, they are a-changin’ ("The Times They Are A-Changin'"; performing artist: Bob Dylan) And I guess that's why they call it the blues (I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues; performing artist: Elton John) The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, and the people were singin' (The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down; performing artist: Joan Baez) So why they call it fallin (Why They Call It Fallin; performing artist: Lee Ann Womack) They wind up on skid row with holes in their pockets (Wall Street Shuffle; performing artist: 10CC) | |
Clever | If they had not landed there would be some reason for celebrating the fact. (references; author: Mark Twain) In California, they don't throw their garbage away - they make it into TV shows. (references; author: Woody Allen) Successful teachers are effective in spite of the psychological theories they suffer under. (references; author: Educational Proverb) What do they use to ship Styrofoam? (references; author: unknown) If We Quit Voting, Will They All Go Away? (references; author: unknown) | |
Tongue Twisters | One smart fellow, he felt smart. Two smart fellows, they felt smart. Three smart fellows, they all felt smart. (references; author: unknown) They both, though, have thirty-three thick thimbles to thaw. (references; author: unknown) They have left the thriftshop, and lost both their theatre tickets and the volume of valuable licenses and coupons for free theatrical frills and thrills. (references; author: unknown) | |
Movie/TV Titles | Before They Were WWE Superstars 2 (2003) Shirley MacLaine: If They Could See Me Now (1974) They Called Us 'Les Filles du Roy' (1974) The Harder They Come (1973) Places Where They Sing (1973) | |
Song Titles | How Do They Know (performing artist: Giles & Fripp Giles) The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down (performing artist: Joan Baez) Why They Call It Feeling (performing artist: Lee Ann Womack) No Matther What They Say (performing artist: Lil' Kim) What Have They Done To My Song Ma (performing artist: The New Seekers) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title | ||
Books |
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Periodicals |
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Theater & Movies | |||
Music |
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Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | Two young women can be seen behind some plant leaves. They seem to be picking some berries on a sunny day. These women are members of a larger Mormon family who are being studied for their low rate of cancer deaths. Credit: Linda Bartlett (photographer). |  | Several young children can be seen playing with toy trucks and their pet rabbits. They are outdoors on a summer day, building a play construction site. A farmstyle house and mountains can be seen in the background. These people are part of a large Mormon family who are being studied for their low cancer death rate. Credit: Linda Bartlett (photographer). |
 | In December 2002, CDC Clinicians trained state licensed vaccine administers how to deliver smallpox vaccine safely and efficiently. Once training was completed, they provided additional smallpox vaccine administration training in their home states. Credit: CDC. |  | Bacillus anthracis endospores are seen under phase contrast microscopy as lighter areas, i.e. "points of light", due to the fact that they are dehydrated, and therefore, more refractile. Credit: CDC. |
 | When 17th-century astronomers first turned their telescopes to Jupiter, they noted a ... Credit: NASA. |  | Astronomers report that they have found new evidence that a black hole weighing 3 million ... Credit: NASA. |
 | View of Africa and Saudi Arabia from Apollo 17.Probably the most requested picture of the Earth, this picture was taken by the Apollo17 astronauts as they left earth orbit en route to the Moon. Taken on Dec. 7, 1972,it was the first time that the trajectory of an Apollo mission enabled a view ofthe south pole. Credit: NASA. |  | This is one of the more famous images of the Earth from the Apollo program, takenby the Apollo 8 astronauts as they became the first humans to circumnavigate the Moon. Credit: NASA. |
 | Each of these swirling clouds is a result of a meteorological phenomenon known as a Karman vortex. These vortices appeared over Alexander Selkirk Island in the southern Pacific Ocean. Rising precipitously from the surrounding waters, the island's highest point is nearly a mile (1.6 km) above sea level. As wind-driven clouds encounter this obstacle, they flow around it to form these large, spinning eddies. Credit: NASA. |  | The West Fjords are a series of peninsulas in northwestern Iceland. They represent less than one-eighth the country's land area, but their jagged perimeter accounts for more than half of Iceland's total coastline. Credit: NASA. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
 |  |
| "They Jumped When They Heard th" by Gabino Travassos Commentary: "The band is the Groovie Ghoulies, the location, the Rev Cabaret in Edmonton, Canada. The photographer: Gabino Travassos." | "They Dance At Night" by Nate Velasquez Commentary: "I took this picture at a beach bar in Barbados. It's a very candid picture and shows a certain innocense." |
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers. | |
| Author | Quotation |
Frederick W. Faber | They always win who side with God. |
Joseph Joubert | Ask the young. They know everything. |
Leon Battista Alberti | Men can do all things if they will. |
Lucius Accius | Let them hate, so long as they fear. |
Quintus Ennius | Whom they fear they hate. |
Ralph Waldo Emerson | They conquer who believe they can. |
Washington Irving | They who drink beer will think beer. |
William Bradford | They knew they were pilgrims. |
William Shakespeare | They laugh that win. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | |
| Author | Date | Quotation |
Magna Carta | 1215 | Men who dwell without the forest need not henceforth come before our justiciaries of the forest upon a general summons, unless they are in plea, or sureties of one or more, who are attached for the forest. (reference) |
John Locke | 1690 | They made not the war, nor assisted in it. (Second Treatise of Government) |
US Declaration of Independence | 1776 | They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. (reference) |
US Constitution | 1791 | When sitting for that Purpose, they shall be on Oath or Affirmation. (reference) |
Amendment to US Constitution | 1795-1992 | All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. (reference) |
Marbury v. Madison | 1803 | And if they can open it at all, what part of it are they forbidden to read or to oey? (reference) |
Communist Manifesto | 1848 | They have a world to win. (reference) |
The Emancipation Proclamation | 1862 | And I hereby enjoin upon the people so declared to be free to abstain from all violence, unless in necessary self-defence; and I recommend to them that, in all case when allowed, they labor faithfully for reasonable wages. (Abraham Lincoln) |
Abraham Lincoln | 1863 | The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. (The Gettysburg Address) |
Treaty of Versailles | 1919 | Nevertheless they must have all their guns on board. (reference) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Title | Author | Quote |
Emma | Austen, Jane | They were sneering and negligent |
Tangled Tale | Carroll, Lewis | They were still in sight of Lieutenant Brown |
A Christmas Carol | Dickens, Charles | They had books and papers in their hands, and bowed to him. |
Scarlet Letter | Hawthorne, Nathaniel | But, as for me, I come to the inquest with other senses than they possess |
Les Miserables | Hugo, Victor | They are all small men, sire, and it would take two of them, one upon the other, to make one of your grenadiers |
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man | Joyce, James | They were older than his father and mother but uncle Charles was older than Dante |
Neverwhere | Neil Gaiman | "If they all felt like this in the morning it was probably a relief." |
The Picture of Dorian Gray | Oscar Wilde | Men marry because they are tired; women because they are curious; both are disappointed |
King Richard III | Shakespeare, William | An if they live, I hope I need not fear |
Grapes of Wrath | Steinbeck, John | They was a guard made it tough |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Health | They could be lighter. (references) | |
They dry out the mouth. (references) | ||
They rarely occur together. (references) | ||
Business | They remain closely monitored. (references) | |
They are ideal for telemetry purposes. (references) | ||
They too must register to have legal status. (references) | ||
Children | Dominican Republic | In return for their work they are given basic housing. (references) |
Indonesia | Usually, they are taken outside the city and left there. (references) | |
Cuba | They blamed the Government's lack of will for this situation. (references) | |
Civil Liberties | Cote d'Ivoire | They never were charged. (references) |
Oman | They do not air any politically controversial material. (references) | |
Cyprus | Maronites are charged the same fee each time they cross. (references) | |
Discrimination | Zambia | These amendments also prohibit traditional chiefs, who are accorded authority and privileges as chiefs, from running for political office unless they resign their chieftainships. (references) |
Papua New Guinea | Skirmishes and conflicts tend to be based on disputes between clans over issues such as boundaries, land ownership, injuries, and insults suffered by one clan at the hands of another; they are not ethnically based. (references) | |
South Africa | Legal recourse is available to those who believe that they have been discriminated against; however, entrenched attitudes and practices, as well as limited resources, limit the practical effect of these protections. (references) | |
Economic History | Saudi Arabia | They resemble general partnerships. (references) |
Bulgaria | They successfully compete with imports. (references) | |
Yemen | Once sound, they too were to be privatized. (references) | |
Human Rights | Iraq | They use the Iraqi legal code. (references) |
Peru | They allowed him to go home after the beating. (references) | |
Bangladesh | If their sentences are upheld, they may be hanged. (references) | |
Indigenous People | Thailand | They sometimes are denied adequate education and health care. (references) |
Sri Lanka | Some Veddas still complain that they are being pushed off of their land. (references) | |
Peru | Many indigenous persons do not have title to the land on which they live. (references) | |
Minorities | Ethiopia | Police shot into the air after they were called in to restore order. (references) |
Yemen | Non-Muslims may vote, but they are prohibited from holding elective office. (references) | |
Sri Lanka | Without national identity cards, they also are vulnerable to arrest by the security forces. (references) | |
Political Economy | Peru | Like the President, they serve five-year terms. (references) |
Indonesia | They also abducted and otherwise harassed such persons. (references) | |
Austria | Economically, they support austerity measures and a balanced budget. (references) | |
Political Rights | Cote d'Ivoire | They expelled journalists and disrupted television and radio broadcasting. (references) |
Togo | In Agou independent party delegates claimed that they saw individuals voting more than 10 times. (references) | |
Panama | Locally, tribal chiefs govern each reserve; they meet in a general congress at regular intervals. (references) | |
Trade | Spain | They lend primarily to private customers via mortgages and loans. (references) |
Switzerland | As members of the stock exchange in Zurich, they deal in securities. (references) | |
Mexico | They perceive the letters of credit as an expensive method of payment. (references) | |
Travel | Senegal | They operate on the GSM standard. (references) |
Ghana | Chinese Cuisine, they also do takeaway. (references) | |
Botswana | In the rest of the country, they are limited. (references) | |
Women | Somalia | Laws prohibiting rape exist; however, they are not enforced. (references) |
Ghana | The men subsequently were arrested, but they were not convicted. (references) | |
Cote d'Ivoire | Doctors state that they rarely see the victims of domestic violence. (references) | |
Worker Rights | Poland | If they try to flee, their legs may be broken. (references) |
Laos | They simply may be assisting fellow villagers. (references) | |
Tunisia | They inspect most firms about once every 2 years. (references) | |
Lexicography | Devil's Dictionary | MISDEMEANOR, n. An infraction of the law having less dignity than a felony and constituting no claim to admittance into the best criminal society. By misdemeanors he essays to climb Into the aristocracy of crime. O, woe was him! -- with manner chill and grand "Captains of industry" refused his hand, "Kings of finance" denied him recognition And "railway magnates" jeered his low condition. He robbed a bank to make himself respected. They still rebuffed him, for he was detected. S.V. Hanipur |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| Speaker | Phrase(s) |
Dennis Miller | Say what you will about drug addicts, at least they move slowly. |
Jesse Ventura | Taxes were never raised on my watch. In four years, there was never a tax raise, they were all lowered. |
Joan Rivers | Two men I have love working with were Don Rickles and David Brenner. They make you laugh and they are gentlemen. |
Lynn Chapman | The Army sent a chaplain and a casualty officer to the house. I answered the door and they were there. |
Paul McCartney | Half an hour, something like that. If you're really lucky, they just arrive and you kind of just write them down. |
Regis Philbin | People by and large, my friends, seemed to be very happy for me. They knew how long I'd been around. |
Rod Steiger | Israel has been very nice to me. They invited me back for the three thousandth birthday of Jerusalem. |
Rush Limbaugh | President Bush's tax cuts not only favored the wealthy, they were unaffordable. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Speaker | Term | Phrase(s) |
George Washington | 1789-1797 | Experience accordingly has shewn that they are very cheap instruments of immense national benefits. |
Thomas Jefferson | 1801-1809 | Nor, if our peace continues, will they be wanting for any other existing purpose. |
Abraham Lincoln | 1861-1865 | Finding themselves safely at home, it would be utterly immaterial whether they had ever been abroad. |
Herbert C. Hoover | 1929-1933 | Fortunately they are but a small percentage of our people. |
Harry S. Truman | 1945-1953 | During this trial the voices of disunity among us were silent or were subdued to an occasional whine that warned us that they were still among us. |
John F. Kennedy | 1961-1963 | However, the question is from where did they shoot. |
Ronald Reagan | 1981-1989 | Raise present taxes to cut future deficits, they tell us. |
George Bush | 1989-1993 | It's time to allow families to deduct the interest they pay on student loans. |
Bill Clinton | 1993-2001 | America cannot become stronger if they become weaker. |
George W. Bush | 2001-2005 | Abandonment and abuse are not acts of God, they are failures of love. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| "THEY" is generally used as a pronoun (personal) -- approximately 99.99% of the time. "THEY" is used about 433,016 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Pronoun (personal) | 99.99% | 432,982 | 26 |
| Total | 100.00% | 433,016 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
| The following table summarizes names derived from the word "THEY". | |||
| Name | Gender | Language | Meaning |
| Chimham | N/A | Biblical | As they |
| Hinnom | N/A | Biblical | There they are |
| Karkor | N/A | Biblical | They rested |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references.
| |||
Expressions using "THEY": as they say ♦ count one's chickens before they are hatched ♦ don't count your chickens before they are hatched ♦ finally they decided ♦ here they come ♦ here they come! ♦ i wonder how they do it ♦ reckon one's chickens before they are hatched ♦ so they say ♦ take people as they are ♦ take things as they come ♦ the Mysticete or whalebone whales having no true teeth after birth but with a series of plates of whalebone see Baleen hanging down from the upper jaw on each side thus making a strainer through which they receive the small animals upon which they feed ♦ they all left except me ♦ they are ♦ they are a bad lot ♦ they are all alike ♦ they are as like as two peas ♦ they are at home ♦ they are here ♦ they are like cat and dog ♦ they are made for each other ♦ they are out ♦ they are suited for each other ♦ they are the same blood ♦ they are there ♦ they are unashamedly in love ♦ they became intimate ♦ they came rushing from all sides ♦ they came rushing from everywhere ♦ they came to an understanding ♦ they did well by him ♦ they do not belong together ♦ they don't make them any better! ♦ they had ♦ they had words ♦ they have ♦ they have long been acquainted ♦ they having nothing on me ♦ they hear me ♦ they hold different views ♦ they hurt themselves ♦ they keep many servants ♦ they lean to the same opinion ♦ they love each other ♦ they marched him off ♦ they ought to know their place ♦ they ran amok through the town ♦ they ran amuck through the town ♦ they said ♦ they say ♦ they say that ♦ they suffered bad defeat ♦ they want ♦ they went for each other ♦ they were sentenced to death ♦ they who. Additional references. | |
| Hyphenated Usage | |
Beginning with "THEY": they-bother, they-can-run-but-they-can't-hide, they-don't-make-'em-like-that-any-more, they-might, they-re, they-were, they-will. | |
Ending with "THEY": all-they, as-they, band-they, blame-they, certainly-they, club-they, composite-they, day-they, effect-they, faculties-they, faster-they, fists-they, home-they, if-they, it-they, latter-they, mores-they, other-they, owners-they, reading-they, that-they, them-they, then-they, the-they, time-they, travel-they, utility-they, will-they, won't-they, workers-they. | |
Containing "THEY": eggs-as-they-came, learn-as-they-go, more-than-when-they-started, now-they-work-and-now-they-don't, oh-no-they-ca, oh-yes-they-can, publicize-they-it, things-as-they-are, what-they-now-are, where-are-they-now, you-name-it-they-had-it. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Language | Translations for "THEY"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Afrikaans | hulle (her, his, its, their, them, to, to them). (various references) | |
Albanian | ato (that, that over there, them, those), ata (that, that over there, them, those). (various references) | |
Arabic | هم (care, concern, matter, reck, solicitude, their, them, those, trouble, worry), هن (their, them, this, those). (various references) | |
Basque | zirela (that they were), dira (they are). (various references) | |
Breton | vezont (they are), n'int (they are), int (they are). (various references) | |
Bulgarian | хората, те (thee, you). (various references) | |
Catalan | els (the), ells, elles. (various references) | |
Chinese | 它們 , 她們 (them), 他們 , 他们 (Their, Them). (various references) | |
Croatian | ih. (various references) | |
Czech | ony, oni (em, them), ona (she). (various references) | |
Danish | de (them, thou, ye, you, you formal). (various references) | |
Dutch | ze (one, she, them, you). (various references) | |
Esperanto | oni (one, one a person, you), ili (them). (various references) | |
Estonian | vajavad (they need). (various references) | |
Faeroese | tey (one, you), teir, tú (one, thou, ye, you), tær, vit (one, we, you), ein (one, you). (various references) | |
Farsi | ایشان , انها (Those, Yond), انان (Those). (various references) | |
Finnish | ne (them), he. (various references) | |
Flemish | ze (it, she, them). (various references) | |
French | ils (them, those), elles (them, those), on. (various references) | |
French Canadian | qu'ils (that they). (various references) | |
Frisian | men (one, you), hja. (various references) | |
Galician | son (it is, they are). (various references) | |
German | sie (her, it, she, them, thou, ye, you), man (just, mandolinist, one, people, somebody, someone, you). (various references) | |
Greek | αυτοί (these). (various references) | |
Guarani | oiko (he is, they are), hi'ajuporãmapa (are they already really ripe). (various references) | |
Haitian Creole | yo (the, them). (various references) | |
Hawaiian | ato (that, that over there, those), ata (that, that over there, those). (various references) | |
Hebrew | הן (them), הנה (here, here to this place), הם (them). (various references) | |
Hungarian | azok (those, those to whom I owe my being), õk, ôk. (various references) | |
Icelandic | þeim (them). (various references) | |
Indonesian | mereka (their, them). (various references) | |
Irish | siad (tumor, tumour). (various references) | |
Italian | essi (them). (various references) | |
Japanese Kanji | 彼等 , 彼ら , 先方 (companion, destination, he, other party, she, the person in front), 奴等 (those guys). (various references) | |
Japanese Katakana | せんぽう (advance guard, destination, divination, he, other party, she, strategy, tactics), かれら, やつら (those guys). (various references) | |
Korean | 그들 (Their, Them, Those). (various references) | |
Luganda | batya ( |
