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these - 7 dictionary results

these

  [theez]
Use these in a Sentence
–pronoun, adjective
pl. of this.

this

  [this] ,pronoun and adjective, plural these  [theez] ; adverb
–pronoun
1. (used to indicate a person, thing, idea, state, event, time, remark, etc., as present, near, just mentioned or pointed out, supposed to be understood, or by way of emphasis): This is my coat.
2. (used to indicate one of two or more persons, things, etc., referring to the one nearer in place, time, or thought; opposed to that): This is Liza and that is Amy.
3. (used to indicate one of two or more persons, things, etc., implying a contrast or contradistinction; opposed to that): I'd take that instead of this.
4. what is about to follow: Now hear this! Watch this!
–adjective
5. (used to indicate a person, place, thing, or degree as present, near, just indicated or mentioned, or as well-known or characteristic): These people are my friends. This problem has worried me for a long time.
6. (used to indicate the nearer in time, place, or thought of two persons, things, etc.; opposed to that).
7. (used to imply mere contradistinction; opposed to that).
8. (used in place of an indefinite article for emphasis): I was walking down the street when I heard this explosion.
–adverb
9. (used with adjectives and adverbs of quantity or extent) to the extent or degree indicated: this far; this softly.
—Idiom
10. with this, following this; hereupon: With this, he threw down his glass and left the table.
Origin:
bef. 900; (pronoun and adj.) ME; OE: nom. and acc. neut. sing. of the demonstrative pronoun thes (masc.), thēos (fem.); c. G dies, ON thissi; (adv.) ME, special use of the OE instrumental sing. thȳs, thīs, acc. sing. neut. this, perh. by association with thus
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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these   (thēz)   
pron.   & adj.
Plural of this.

[Middle English, from Old English thæs, variant of thās, pl. of thes, this, this; see to- in Indo-European roots.]
this   (thĭs)   
pron.   pl. these (thēz)
    1. Used to refer to the person or thing present, nearby, or just mentioned: This is my cat. These are my tools.
    2. Used to refer to what is about to be said: Now don't laugh when you hear this.
    3. Used to refer to the present event, action, or time: said he'd be back before this.
  2. Used to indicate the nearer or the more immediate one: This is mine and that is yours.
adj.   pl. these
  1. Being just mentioned or present in space, time, or thought: She left early this morning.
  2. Being nearer or more immediate: this side and that side.
  3. Being about to be stated or described: Just wait till you hear this story.
  4. Informal Used as an emphatic substitute for the indefinite article: looking for this book of recipes.
adv.  To this extent; so: never stayed out this late.

[Middle English, from Old English; see to- in Indo-European roots.]
Usage Note: This and that are both used as demonstrative pronouns to refer to a thought expressed earlier: The letter was unopened; that (or this) in itself casts doubt on the inspector's theory. That is sometimes viewed as the better choice in referring to what has gone before (as in the preceding example). When the referent is yet to be mentioned, only this is used: This (not that) is what bothers me: we have no time to consider late applications. · This is often used in speech and informal writing as an emphatic substitute for the indefinite article to refer to a specific thing or person: You should talk to this friend of mine at the Department of Motor Vehicles. I have this terrible feeling that I forgot to turn off the gas. It is best to avoid this substitution in formal writing except when a conversational tone is desired. See Usage Note at that.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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These

These\ ([th][=e]z), pron. [OE. [thorn]es, [thorn][ae]s, a variant of [thorn]as, pl. of [thorn]es, thes, this. See This, and cf. Those.] The plural of this. See This.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : these
Spanish: este, esta, estos, estas,
German: diese, *-r, *-s,
Japanese: この
More Translations »

these 
O.E. þæs, variant of þas, nom. and acc. pl. of þes, þeos, þis "this" (see this).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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these

see one of these days.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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