they

Meaning

Pron

1. A group of entities previously mentioned.
2. A single person, previously mentioned, but typically not if previously named and identified as male or female, especially if of unknown, irrelevant or (since 21st century) non-binary gender. Now increasingly used for an unnamed person even if the gender of the person is identified.
3. People; some people; people in general; someone, excluding the speaker.
4. The authorities: government, police, employers, etc.
5. The opponents of the side which is keeping score.

Det

1. The, those.
2. Their.

Concepts

they

them

those

he

she

their

these

it

one

you

people

theirs

others

themselves

her

him

that

hers

his

its

s/he

people at large

companion

other party

gentlemen

those guys

all

he and she

us

we

2

both of them

they both

3 pl.

both

thine

wolf

these people

progressive

two people

which

who

those people

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ðeɪ/

Etymology

Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *tóy
Proto-Germanic *þai
Proto-Norse *ᚦᚨᛁᛉ (*þaiʀ)
Old Norse þeirbor.
Middle English þei
English they
From Middle English þei, borrowed in the 1200s from Old Norse þeir, plural of the demonstrative sá which acted as a plural pronoun. Displaced native Middle English he from Old English hīe — which vowel changes had left indistinct from he (“he”) — by the 1400s, being readily incorporated alongside native words beginning with the same sound (the, that, this). Used as a singular pronoun since 1300, e.g. in the 1325 Cursor Mundi.
The Norse term (whence also Icelandic þeir (“they”), Faroese teir (“they”), Danish de (“they”), Swedish de (“they”), Norwegian Nynorsk dei (“they”)) is from Proto-Germanic *þai (“those”) (from Proto-Indo-European *to- (“that”)), whence also Old English þā (“those”) (whence obsolete English tho), Scots thae, thai, thay (“they; those”).
The origin of the determiner they (“the, those”) is unclear. The OED, English Dialect Dictionary and Middle English Dictionary define it and its Middle English predecessor thei as a demonstrative determiner or adjective meaning "those" or "the". This could be a continuation of the use of the English pronoun they's Old Norse etymon þeir as a demonstrative meaning "those", but the OED and EDD say it is limited to southern, especially southwestern, England, specifically outside the region of Norse contact.

Sentences

Maybe it was because they moved around so much .

They certainly did not waste it either .

They finished fourth out of four teams .

The boy continued to listen to his heart as they crossed the desert .

At the same time , they cannot find an exact definition of what a feeling is .

They managed to retain their title .

They usually will die after mating and laying eggs .

The reviews they wrote on the Internet were not quite objective .