they them

Gender-neutral pronoun pair

They/them are third-person plural pronouns: They arrived late, I told them the news.

Since the late 20th century, they/them has gained acceptance as singular pronouns for individuals who don't identify as male or female, or when gender is unknown or irrelevant: Ask the customer what they want.

This singular usage dates to Middle English but has become politically charged in discussions of gender identity.

Related

people · group · us · all of us · we · nonbinary · gender · identity · inclusive · chosen family · collective · crowd · folks · individuals · everyone · somebody · anyone · those

Categories
Opposites
grammatical person

they themyou

The person addressed

myself · ourselves · yourself

number

they themit

Neuter third-person pronoun

he · she · him · her · one

gender specification

they themhe or she

Gender-inclusive subject phrase

he/she · mankind

Family

they, them, their, theirs, themselves, themself

Familiarity
Top 200,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Abstract · Everyday, not technical · Rated G