he
1the male person or animal being discussed or last mentioned; that male.
anyone (without reference to gender); that person: He who hesitates is lost.
any male person or animal; a man: hes and shes.
male (usually used in combination): a he-goat.
Origin of he
1Grammar notes for he
Those who object to the generic use of he have developed various ways of avoiding it. One is to use he/she or she/he (or he or she or she or he ) or the appropriate case forms of these pairs: Everyone who agrees should raise his or her (or her or his or his/her or her/his ) right hand. Forms blending the feminine and masculine pronouns, as s/he, have not been widely adopted, probably because of confusion over how to say them.
Another solution is to change the antecedent pronoun or noun from singular to plural so that the plural pronouns they, their, and them can be used: All who agree should raise their right hands. All writers know that their first books are not likely to be bestsellers. See also they.
Words Nearby he
Other definitions for he (2 of 5)
or heh
the fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
any of the sounds represented by this letter.
Origin of he
2Other definitions for He (3 of 5)
helium.
Other definitions for HE (4 of 5)
high explosive.
Other definitions for H.E. (5 of 5)
high explosive.: Also HE
His Eminence.
His Excellency; Her Excellency.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use he in a sentence
This is just one voter out of many, naturally, but he/she has enough to say for an army.
A Tony Voter on Bryan Cranston’s Overrated LBJ, Neil Patrick Harris’s Underwhelming Hedwig | Michael Musto | June 4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTNo he-said-she-said, no muffled sounds through the dorm ceiling, no “Maybe he has other issues.”
Your Princess Is in Another Castle: Misogyny, Entitlement, and Nerds | Arthur Chu | May 27, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTLaw, 41, has set the “he-vage” bar high, or low, for this summer.
Kanye West finally got Kim Kardashian the Vogue cover he/she/they have been waiting for.
Whoever this tweeter was, s/he has been hearing the refrain since the day s/he got into the game.
The Accidental Truth in the RNC’s Latest Race Gaffe | Michael Tomasky | December 3, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
he must be The saltest fish that swims the sea.And, oh!he has a secret woe!
Mr. Newdegate was a hard-mouthed witness, but he-was saddled, bridled, and ridden to the winning-post.
Reminiscences of Charles Bradlaugh | George W. FooteHowever the he-ass is a great example of vigour, for he can cover females several times each day successively.
Buffon's Natural History. Volume IX (of 10) | Georges Louis Leclerc de Buffonhe never can cross that mighty top!he's forced to let the piping drop, And we shall see our children stop!
The Book of Humorous Verse | VariousIt's a hard word, but I've sure-ly heard her say he-li-o-trope sach-et.
Pages for Laughing Eyes | Unknown
British Dictionary definitions for he (1 of 5)
/ (hiː, unstressed iː) /
refers to a male person or animal: he looks interesting; he's a fine stallion
refers to an indefinite antecedent such as one, whoever, or anybody: everybody can do as he likes in this country
refers to a person or animal of unknown or unspecified sex: a member of the party may vote as he sees fit
a male person or animal
(in combination): he-goat
a children's game in which one player chases the others in an attempt to touch one of them, who then becomes the chaser: Compare tag 2
the person chasing: Compare it 1 (def. 7)
Origin of he
1British Dictionary definitions for he (2 of 5)
/ (heɪ, Hebrew he) /
the fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet (ה), transliterated as h
British Dictionary definitions for he (3 of 5)
/ (hiː, heɪ) /
an expression of amusement or derision: Also: he-he!, hee-hee!
British Dictionary definitions for He (4 of 5)
helium
British Dictionary definitions for HE (5 of 5)
high explosive
His Eminence
His (or Her) Excellency
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for He
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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