they

Fred and Jane? They just arrived.

Dogs may bark if they want to be fed.

Plants wilt if they are not watered.

I have a car and a truck, but they are both broken.

[…]purſued his vnneighbourly purpoſe in ſuch ſort: that hee being the ſtronger perſwader, and ſhe (belike) too credulous in beleeuing or elſe ouer-feeble in reſiſting, from priuate imparlance, they fell to action; and continued their cloſe fight a long while together, vnſeene and vvithout ſuſpition, no doubt to their equall ioy and contentment.

1620, Giovanni Bocaccio, translated by John Florio, The Decameron, Containing an Hundred Pleaſant Nouels: Wittily Diſcourſed, Betweene Seuen Honourable Ladies, and Three Noble Gentlemen, Isaac Iaggard, Nouell 8, The Eighth Day:

There is no reason to be scared of iguanas. They do not attack humans.

2010, Iguana Invasion!: Exotic Pets Gone Wild in Florida, →ISBN, page 9:

(the third-person plural nominative) A group of entities previously mentioned.

Somebody requested a seat at Friday's performance but didn't say if they preferred the balcony or the floor.

If someone enters the restricted area, they are required to present identification.

One of the boys tripped over, and they hit their head on the door.

Then shalt thou bring forth that man, or that woman (which haue committed that wicked thing) vnto thy gates, euen that man, or that woman, and shalt stone them with stones till they die.

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Deuteronomy 17:5:

Someone knocked into Harry as they hurried past him. It was Hermione.

1997, J. K. Rowling, chapter 10, in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, (quoted edition: London: Bloomsbury, 2000, →ISBN, page 187):

One thing a nominee earns is the right to pick the vice president that they think will best reflect their vision of the country, and I am just glad I will have nothing to do with it.

2008, Michelle Obama, quoted in Lisa Rogak, Michelle Obama in Her Own Words, New York, NY: PublicAffairs, 2009. →ISBN, page 18

The boycott, led by Elisha Lim, of a Toronto gay and lesbian newspaper after it refused to use their preferred pronoun ["they"], citing grammar considerations, inspired me.

2014, Ivan E. Coyote, Rae Spoon, Gender Failure, →ISBN:

I'm angry that we're here again, that we have had to tell another mother that their child is dead.

2015 April, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake (mayor of Baltimore), commenting on the death of Freddie Gray

(the third-person singular nominative, occasionally proscribed) A single person, previously mentioned, but typically not if previously named and identified as male or female, especially if of unknown, irrelevant or (since 21st century) non-binary gender. Now increasingly used for an unnamed person even if the gender of the person is identified.

the third-person singular nominative; occasionally proscribed; the third-person singular nominative; occasionally proscribed

They say it’s a good place to live.

They didn’t have computers in the old days.

Always get a second source, they tell us in investigative lexicography;[…]

1986 February 16, William Safire, “On Language; Moon Of My Delight”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2015-05-24, Section 6 / Magazine, page 10:

I am beautiful, no matter what they say

2002, Linda Perry (lyrics and music), “Beautiful”, in Stripped, performed by Christina Aguilera:

(indefinite pronoun, vague meaning) People; some people; people in general; someone, excluding the speaker.

They'll tax us for the air we breathe next.

They should increase our wages.

Ha, you believe the moon is real? That's just what they want you to think.

(indefinite pronoun) The authorities: government, police, employers, etc.

(bridge) The opponents of the side which is keeping score.

head

they (third-person, nominative case, usually plural, sometimes singular, objective case them, possessive their, possessive noun theirs, reflexive themselves, or reflexive singular themself)

en-pron

them (objective)
their (possessive)
theirs (noun possessive)
themselves (reflexive)
themself (reflexive singular)

it doesn't matter what they say about you as long as they spell your name right

other attested third-person singular pronouns

not used in Dyirbal (Dyirbal has no third-person pronoun)

(usually indicated by the suffix only) -nak

o

third-person singular, of unknown, irrelevant, or non-binary gender

(usually indicated by the third-person singular zero suffix only) -∅

그 (geu) (literary, poetic, or in translated works only)

Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *tóy
Proto-Germanic *þai
Proto-Norse *ᚦᚨᛁᛉ (*þaiʀ)
Old Norse þeirbor.
Middle English þei
English they From Middle English þei, borrowed in the 1200s from Old Norse þeir, plural of the demonstrative sá which acted as a plural pronoun. Displaced native Middle English he from Old English hīe — which vowel changes had left indistinct from he (“he”) — by the 1400s, being readily incorporated alongside native words beginning with the same sound (the, that, this). Used as a singular pronoun since 1300, e.g. in the 1325 Cursor Mundi.
The Norse term (whence also Icelandic þeir (“they”), Faroese teir (“they”), Danish de (“they”), Swedish de (“they”), Norwegian Nynorsk dei (“they”)) is from Proto-Germanic *þai (“those”) (from Proto-Indo-European *to- (“that”)), whence also Old English þā (“those”) (whence obsolete English tho), Scots thae, thai, thay (“they; those”).
The origin of the determiner they (“the, those”) is unclear. The OED, English Dialect Dictionary and Middle English Dictionary define it and its Middle English predecessor thei as a demonstrative determiner or adjective meaning "those" or "the". This could be a continuation of the use of the English pronoun they's Old Norse etymon þeir as a demonstrative meaning "those", but the OED and EDD say it is limited to southern, especially southwestern, England, specifically outside the region of Norse contact.


they

They rooks as you see … only coom a few year agoo.

1878, Louis John Jennings, Field Paths and Green Lanes, quoting an old East Sussex man

Darn'd if they Cockney Chaps can zee there worn't nort but lie in him.

1883, Judy, or the London serio-comic journal, volume 33, Harvard University:

page 21: "But you spile [spoil] they gals - they won't be for no good, they won't."
page 30: "'Twas all about they rewks [rooks]," he sobbed.
page 54: "mucking the place up with they weeds"

1895, Under the Chilterns: A Story of English Village Life:

"Bodies and souls," she cried, "if I didn't reckon to have hidden they boots safe from un in the stick-rick." "Off wi' they tight-wasted shoes o' yours, Martha."

1901, Gwendoline Keats (of Devon), Tales of Dunstáble Weir, page 55

Forty quid a fuckin ticket. No shy they British Rail cunts, ah kin fuckin tell ye.

1994 [1993], Irvine Welsh, Trainspotting, London: Minerva, →ISBN, page 114:

(now Southern England dialect or nonstandard) The, those.

MARY ELLEN is a different case from the others. She has five children and, she claims: "I don't know who they father is. I ain't never kept track. They is always another one. You know, I can catch me a guy[.]"

1974, Arthur Hippler, Hunter's Point: a black ghetto in America, page 88:

But all they kids be listenin' to me religiously / So I'm signin' CDs while police fingerprint me

I got bitches askin' me about the code for the Wi-Fi / So they can talk about they timeline / And show me pictures of they friends

2015, “Energy”, in If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late, performed by Drake:

He guessed one of the well-off people living in these houses must have took a shine to Cody and decided how he'd look good stuck up on they roof.

2016, Alan Moore, Jerusalem, Liveright, published 2016, page 175:

(US dialects, including African-American Vernacular) Their.


they

They’s music in the twitter of the bluebird and the jay.

1889, James Whitcomb Riley, Pipes o' Pan:

They ain’t nothin’ wrong with that.

But they ain’t nothin’ in there you didn’t already have.

2008, Christian Carvajal, Lightfall, page 82:

Well, they’s a lot of ‘em didn’t survive, if you believe me.

2010, Alessandro Portelli, They Say in Harlan County: An Oral History, page 207:

(US dialectal) There (especially as an expletive subject of be).