they Meaning, Definition & Usage

They pronoun plural
Etymology
Icel. þeir they, properly nom. pl. masc. of sa, s&umac;, þat, a demonstrative pronoun, akin to the English definite article, AS. se, seó, &edh;æt, nom. pl. &edh;a. See That.
Wordforms
possessive Theirs; objective Them
Definitions
  1. The plural of he, she, or it. They is never used adjectively, but always as a pronoun proper, and sometimes refers to persons without an antecedent expressed.
    Jolif and glad they went unto here [their] rest And casten hem [them] full early for to sail. Chaucer.
    They of Italy salute you. Heb. xiii. 24.
    Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness. Matt. v. 6.
    They is used indefinitely, as our ancestors used man, and as the French use on; as, they say (French on dit), that is, it is said by persons not specified.

Webster 1913