pronoun

noun

pro·​noun ˈprō-ˌnau̇n 

1

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

2

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

What’s even more remarkable is that Victor (who uses they/she pronouns) landed such a lucrative indie distribution deal for a film revolving around very serious subject matter. —Gregg Goldstein, Variety, 17 May 2025

The actor and singer have one child together named Angel Iris Murphy, 18, who goes by he/him pronouns. —Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 16 May 2025

For Lucien, who lived in Baltimore before moving to New York and uses they/them pronouns, iron is a key element of their work. —Alina Tugend, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2025

Siwa isn’t alone in using a multiplicity of pronouns. —Mikelle Street, Them., 23 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin pronomin-, pronomen, from pro- for + nomin-, nomen name — more at pro-, name

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing pronoun

• indefinite pronoun
• personal pronoun
• possessive pronoun
• reciprocal pronoun
• reflexive pronoun

Kids Definition

pronoun

noun

pro·​noun ˈprō-ˌnau̇n 

: a word that is used as a substitute for a noun