he

1 of 5

pronoun

ˈhē

: that male one who is neither speaker nor hearer

he is my father

compare him, his, it, she, they

—used in a generic sense or when the gender of the person is unspecified

he that hath ears to hear, let him hear—

Matthew 11:15 (King James Version)

one should do the best he can

2 of 5

noun (1)

ˈhē

: a male person or animal

: one that is strongly masculine or has strong masculine appeal

—usually used in combination

that's what I call he-literature—

Sinclair Lewis

3 of 5

noun (2)

ˈhā

: the 5th letter of the Hebrew alphabet see Alphabet Table

4 of 5

symbol

helium

5 of 5

abbreviation

Her Excellency; His Excellency

high efficiency

high explosive

His Eminence

Word History

Etymology

Pronoun

Middle English, from Old English hē; akin to Old English hēo she, hit it, Old High German hē he, Latin cis, citra on this side, Greek ekeinos that person

Noun (2)

Hebrew hē'

First Known Use

Pronoun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

circa 1567, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of he was before the 12th century

See more words from the same century

Cite this Entry

Style

“He.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/he. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.

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Kids Definition

pronoun

(ˈ)hē,

: that male one who is neither speaker nor hearer

he is my father

—used in a general sense or when the sex of the person is unknown

everyone should do the best he can

Medical Definition

symbol

helium

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he

pronoun

noun (1)

noun (2)

symbol

abbreviation

Word History

Dictionary Entries Near he

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition

Medical Definition