generic they

generic they

English

Examples
(unspecified person or people:) They have to get up pretty early to fool me. (unspecified person or people:) Sometimes they purposely make it hard to find the unsubscribe option. (singular they:) They’re coming over for dinner and they’re bringing their boyfriend. (singular they:) Q: Which one are they [over there]? A: They’re the one with the green shirt.

Noun

generic they

1. Synonym of generic you: the pronoun they, used to refer to an unspecified person, to multiple unspecified people, or to people in general.

   Synonyms: one, they

2. Synonym of singular they: the pronoun they, used to refer to one single person without obligation to include their gender.

   Synonyms: they, ze

Usage notes

• See they § Usage notes.

Derived terms

(unspecified):

• they say: you know what they say; so they say