Definition of “he” - English Dictionary

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“he” in English

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hepronoun

uk ​ strong /hiː/ weak /hi/ /i/ us ​ strong /hiː/ weak /hi/ /i/

A1 used as the subject of a verb to refer to a man, boy, or male animal that has already been mentioned:

Don't ask Andrew, he won't know.
There's no need to be frightened - he's a very friendly dog.

› old-fashioned used to refer to a person whose sex is not known:

The modern traveller can go where he likes.
As soon as the baby is born, he'll start to take an interest in the world around him.

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Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

Grammar

Pronouns: personal (I, me, you, him, it, they, etc.)We use personal pronouns in place of noun phrases. We often use them to refer back to people and things that we have already identified (underlined): …
Subject and object pronounsPersonal subject pronouns act as the subject of a clause. We use them before a verb to show who is doing the verb. We do not usually leave out the pronoun: …
I, meWe use I and me to refer to the speaker or writer. I is the subject form and me is the object form: …
YouWe use you to refer to the listener or reader. It is both the subject and the object form. You can refer to one person or more than one person. It is usually clear from the context whether you is singular or plural: …
He, him; she, herHe, him, she and her are singular third person pronouns. He and him are the masculine forms. She and her are the feminine forms: …
ItWe use it to refer to things: …
We, usWe use we and us to refer to different groups of people, but always including the speaker. We and us can refer to the speaker + the listener, or the speaker + other people but not the listener, or people in general including the speaker: …
They, themWe use they and them to refer to specific groups of people, things and animals: …
He, she, him, her, his, hersIn writing, we can use (s)he, he/she, him/her or his/her to refer to both sexes at the same time. When speaking formally, we say he or she and his or her: …

henoun [ C ]

uk ​ /hiː/ us ​ /hiː/

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

“he” in American English

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hepronoun

us ​ /hi, i/ male

› the male being spoken about, who has already been mentioned:

Don’t ask Andrew, he won’t know.

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

Today a person can travel anywhere he likes.
he
noun [ C ] us ​ /hi/

› male

Is your turtle a he or a she?

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

Translations of “he”
 
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