Meaning of “his” in the English Dictionary

English
Contents

"his" in English

See all translations

hisdeterminer

uk ​ strong /hɪz/ weak /ɪz/ us ​ strong /hɪz/ weak /ɪz/

his determiner (MALE)

A1 belonging to or connected with a man, boy, or male animal that has just been mentioned or is known about:

"Jo's got a new boyfriend." "Oh really? What's his name?"
The bull tossed his horns.
formal Did Chris tell you about his winning some money in the lottery?

More examples

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

his determiner (EITHER GENDER)

› belonging to or connected with a person or animal that has just been mentioned and whose sex is not known or not considered to be important. Many people consider this use to be offensive and prefer to use him or her or their instead, or its for an animal:

Anyone who drives his car at 100 miles an hour is asking for trouble.
What a cute dog! What's his name?
Note: Many people prefer to use their, and this can sometimes mean changing other words in the sentence: People who drive their cars at 100 miles an hour are asking for trouble.Its can be used for animals.

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

Grammar

Pronouns: possessive (my, mine, your, yours, etc.)We use pronouns to refer to possession and ‘belonging’. There are two types: possessive pronouns and possessive determiners. We use possessive determiners before a noun. We use possessive pronouns in place of a noun: …

hispronoun

uk ​ /hɪz/ us ​ /hɪz/

A1 the one(s) belonging to or connected with a man, boy, or male animal that has just been mentioned or is known about:

Mark just phoned to say he'd left his coat behind. Do you know if this is his?
He introduced us to some colleagues of his.
His is the office directly ahead of you, at the far end of the corridor.

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

Grammar

Pronouns: possessive (my, mine, your, yours, etc.)We use pronouns to refer to possession and ‘belonging’. There are two types: possessive pronouns and possessive determiners. We use possessive determiners before a noun. We use possessive pronouns in place of a noun: …

(Definition of “his” from the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

"his" in American English

See all translations

hispronoun

us ​ /hɪz, ɪz/ male

› belonging to or connected with the person mentioned; the possessive form of he, often used before a noun:

Joe left his car parked with the lights on.
Isn’t this Kevin’s umbrella? I think it’s his.

› His is also used to refer to a person whose sex is not known:

Anyone who drives his car that fast is asking for trouble.
Note: Some people find this use of his to be offensive.

(Definition of “his” from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Translations of “his”
 
Need a translator?

Translator tool

Get a quick, free translation!

What is the pronunciation of his?
Browse