me

1 of 3

pronoun

objective case of i

me or I?: Usage Guide

Me is used in many constructions where strict grammarians prescribe I. This usage is not so much ungrammatical as indicative of the shrinking range of the nominative form: me began to replace I sometime around the 16th century largely because of the pressure of word order. I is now chiefly used as the subject of an immediately following verb. Me occurs in every other position: absolutely

who, me?

, emphatically

me too

, and after prepositions, conjunctions, and verbs, including be.

come with me
you're as big as me
it's me

Almost all usage books recognize the legitimacy of me in these positions, especially in speech; some recommend I in formal and especially written contexts after be and after as and than when the first term of the comparison is the subject of a verb.

Me

2 of 3

abbreviation (1)

methyl

ME

3 of 3

abbreviation (2)

1
or Me Maine
2
managing editor
3
mechanical engineer
4
medical examiner

Word History

Etymology

Pronoun

Middle English, from Old English ; akin to Old High German mīh me, Latin me, Greek me, Sanskrit

Dictionary Entries Near me

Cite this Entry

“Me.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/me. Accessed 5 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

me

pronoun

objective case of I

Medical Definition

Me

1 of 2 abbreviation
methyl

ME

2 of 2 abbreviation
1
medical examiner
2
myalgic encephalomyelitis

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