objective case of they
1
: they sense 1
—used as the object of a verb or preposition to designate a group of people or things
I drove the kids to school and dropped them off.
We bought it for them.
Please pick up your toys and put them away.
2
: they sense 3
—used as the object of a verb or preposition to designate a single person whose gender is unknown, unspecified, or nonbinary (see nonbinary sense c)
If anyone calls, tell them I'm busy.
[Liv] Hewson, who is nonbinary, explained how the term "immediately" clicked for them when they first came across it …—
Meredith Clark
Meredith Clark3
: those
—used especially as an antecedent to a relative pronoun
… the best of them that speak this speech …—William Shakespeare
—used as the subject of a verb chiefly in nonstandard speech and for humorous effectWilliam Shakespearethem is fighting words
nonstandard
: those
—used chiefly in nonstandard speech and for humorous effect
Articles Related to them
Dictionary Entries Near them
Cite this Entry
“Them.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/them. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
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