she

play

pronoun \ ˈshē \

Definition of she

1 :that female one who is neither speaker nor hearer

she is my wife

— compare he, her, hers, it, they

2 —used to refer to one regarded as feminine (as by personification)

she was a fine ship

3 —used as an alternative to he to refer to a person of unspecified gender

allow anyone to do whatever she wants
—D. J. Callahan

See she defined for English-language learners

See she defined for kids

Recent Examples of she from the Web

Lucia, the poor little rich girl at the center of this tragedy, suffers endlessly and audiences line up, again and again, to watch as she is pushed around by the men in her life, bullied to insanity and driven to slay her own husband.

— ray mark rinaldi, The Know, "Review: Local soprano leads Opera Colorado’s bloody but satisfying “Lucia,” opening this weekend," 4 May 2017
She was shot twice from a distance and bled to death.

— sarah horner, Twin Cities, "'Just words to me': Sarah Wierstad's mother rejects apology at sentencing," 10 Mar. 2017
She was officially identified by the Alameda County Coroner’s Office, Sheriff’s Sgt.

— harry harris, The Mercury News, "Body found in Fremont creek confirmed as Jayda Jenkins," 24 Feb. 2017
She was taken by ambulance to the emergency room, where doctors flushed out the one-inch, live cockroach.

— the washington post, The Denver Post, "She felt a “crawling sensation.” Doctors found a live cockroach in her skull.," 13 Feb. 2017
She was inducted into the CIF and Southern California Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2005.

— lou ponsi, Orange County Register, "Strausberg inducted into Fountain Valley Hall of Fame," 7 Feb. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'she.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of she

Middle English, probably alteration of hye, alteration of Old English hēo she — more at he

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 12th century

See Words from the same year

she

noun

Definition of she

:a female person or animal —often used in combination

she-cat

she-cousin

See she defined for English-language learners

Examples of she in a Sentence

“Somebody called when you were out, but I can't remember who.” “Was it a he or a she?”

Recent Examples of she from the Web

She allowed The Times this exclusive glimpse to highlight what many spouses, so often seen but not heard, talk about and experience behind the scenes of the country’s most successful, sometimes most polemical, sports league.

— ken belson, New York Times, "Inside the Facebook Group Where N.F.L. Wives Share Anxieties and Advice," 7 Aug. 2017
The Super-Cheesy-and-She-Knows-It Mom Cheesy pancakes for a mom who makes more dad jokes than your dad.

— alyse whitney, Bon Appetit, "A Very Useful Guide to Mother's Day Pancake Decisions," 11 May 2017
The Super-Cheesy-and-She-Knows-It Mom Cheesy pancakes for a mom who makes more dad jokes than your dad.

— alyse whitney, Bon Appetit, "A Very Useful Guide to Mother's Day Pancake Decisions," 11 May 2017
Before the crash, Lauer was most widely known as a star volleyball player at Desert Christian Academy in Bermuda Dunes, Calif., She later coached at the school and played for College of the Desert in Palm Desert.

— USA TODAY, "She didn’t put her baby in a car seat; now she is charged with murder.," 5 May 2017

First Known Use of she

14th century

s/he

play

pronoun \ ˈshē-ˈhē ; ˈshē-ər-ˈhē ; ˈshē-ˌslash-ˈhē \

Definition of s/he

:she or he —used in writing as a pronoun of common gender

See s/he defined for English-language learners

First Known Use of s/he

1973

SHE Defined for English Language Learners

she

play

pronoun

Definition of she for English Language Learners

: that female
—used to refer to something (such as a ship) that is thought of as having female qualities

she

noun

Definition of she for English Language Learners

: a girl, woman, or female animal

s/he

play

pronoun

Definition of s/he for English Language Learners

: she or he

SHE Defined for Kids

she

play

pronoun \ ˈshē \

Definition of she for Students

:that female one

She is my mother.

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See words that rhyme with she Spanish Central: Translation of she Nglish: Translation of she for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of she for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about she

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Origin and Etymology of she

she

Definition of she

Examples of she in a Sentence

Recent Examples of she from the Web

First Known Use of she

s/he

Definition of s/he

First Known Use of s/he

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SHE Defined for English Language Learners

she

Definition of she for English Language Learners

she

Definition of she for English Language Learners

s/he

Definition of s/he for English Language Learners

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she

Definition of she for Students

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