Definition of 'their'

Word Frequency

their

(ðeəʳ)

language note: Their is the third person plural possessive determiner.

1. determiner

You use their to indicate that something belongs or relates to the group of people, animals, orthings that you are talking about.

Janis and Kurt have announced their engagement.

Horses were poking their heads over their stall doors.

...as the trees shed their leaves and the year begins to die.

2. determiner

You use their instead of 'his or her' to indicate that something belongs or relates to a person withoutsaying whether that person is a man or a woman.

Every member will receive their own 'Welcome to Labour' brochure.

But anyone looking for income from their investments is in a much worse state.

English Easy Learning GrammarDeterminersDeterminers are words that make the reference of nouns more specific. If I say ‘thiscar’ it is clear that I mean a particular car which is near me. If ... Read more

English Easy Learning GrammarIndefinite pronounsThe indefinite pronouns are used when you do not know or do not need to say preciselywho or what you are referring to. The noun phrase which they substitute ... Read more

English Easy Learning GrammarNoun phrases with several determinersMost noun phrases contain only one determiner or none at all, but if there are more,they follow a definite order. Determiners can be divided into four ... Read more

Video: pronunciation of
their

their in British English

(ðɛə)

determiner

of, belonging to, or associated in some way with them

their finest hour

their own clothes

she tried to combat their mocking her

belonging to or associated in some way with people in general not including the speaker or people addressed

in many countries they wash their clothes in the river

belonging to or associated in some way with an indefinite antecedent such as one, whoever, or anybody

everyone should bring their own lunch

▶ USAGE See note at they

Word origin

C12: from Old Norse theira (genitive plural); see they, them

Word Frequency

their in American English

(ðɛr)

possessive pronominal adjective

of, belonging to, made by, or done by them

also used before some formal titles [Their Majesties]: often used in connection with a preceding singular pronoun (as everybody, somebody, everyone)

did everybody finish their lunch?

Word origin

ME theyr < ON theirra, gen. pl. of the demonstrative pron. replacing ME here, OE hira: see they

Examples of 'their' in a sentence
their

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People lost their limbs and parts of their bodies.Name one country in history where bolstering people in their prejudices has turned out for the best.They are the experts in medicines and their use and they need to show more leadership.Most rooms are now full and cannot be used for their original purpose.On Friday police escorted him to a safe place after collecting the last of their belongings.Hopefully the findings of this report will help remind people that their actions on the road do have an impact on other drivers.Yesterday they were being allowed into the lower floors to see if their belongings could be salvaged.China invented fireworks but has long prohibited their use because of accidents.This was a particular problem for people paying for their own care.We have also offered to reimburse any expenses they incurred while they were without their belongings.