pronoun

noun

pro·noun ˈprō-ˌnau̇n

plural pronouns : any of a small set of words (such as I, she, he, you, it, we, or they) in a language that are used as substitutes for nouns or noun phrases and whose referents are named or understood in the context

pronouns plural : the third person personal pronouns (such as he/him, she/her, and they/them) that a person goes by

What are your pronouns?

"I'm Jo, my pronouns are she/her." "I'm Jade, my pronouns are they/them."

… many people with nonbinary genders use "they" and "their" pronouns, although language and gender expression vary widely.—

Lucy Brisbane

Did you know?

What is a pronoun?

A pronoun is a word that is used instead of a noun or noun phrase. Pronouns refer to either a noun that has already been mentioned or to a noun that does not need to be named specifically.

The most common pronouns are the personal pronouns, which refer to the person or people speaking or writing (first person), the person or people being spoken to (second person), or other people or things (third person). Like nouns, personal pronouns can function as either the subject of a verb or the object of a verb or preposition: "She likes him, but he loves her." Most of the personal pronouns have different subject and object forms:

There are a number of other types of pronouns. The interrogative pronouns—particularly what, which, who, whom, and whose—introduce questions for which a noun is the answer, as in "Which do you prefer?"

Possessive pronouns refer to things or people that belong to someone. The main possessive pronouns are mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, and theirs.

The four demonstrative pronouns—this, that, these, and those—distinguish the person or thing being referred to from other people or things; they are identical to the demonstrative adjectives.

Relative pronouns introduce a subordinate clause, a part of a sentence that includes a subject and verb but does not form a sentence by itself. The main relative pronouns are that, which, who, whom, what, and whose.

Reflexive pronouns refer back to the subject of a sentence or clause and are formed by adding -self or -selves to a personal pronoun or possessive adjective, as in myself, herself, ourselves, and itself.

Indefinite pronouns, such as everybody, either, none, and something, do not refer to a specific person or thing, and typically refer to an unidentified or unfamiliar person or thing.

The words it and there can also be used like pronouns when the rules of grammar require a subject but no noun is actually being referred to. Both are usually used at the beginning of a sentence or clause, as in "It was almost noon" and "There is some cake left." These are sometimes referred to as expletives.

Examples of pronoun in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Dear Eric: My ex-husband was emotionally abusive to my oldest child (they/them pronouns). —

R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 21 Oct. 2024 Trump has railed against the acceptance of transgender people, and the use of pronouns. —

Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2024 Abbott, who is Black and goes by they/them pronouns, said that prior to their termination, they were taken off the museum’s premises for a meeting with leadership, during which they were ordered to remove their keffiyeh. —

Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 26 Sep. 2024 South Dakota constitution pronouns In the Mount Rushmore State, voters will decide on whether to change the pronouns in the state constitution to be gender-neutral. —

Jack Birle, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 2 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for pronoun