English[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

• theyre (archaic)

Etymology[edit]

From Old Norse þeirra. Replaced native Old English heora.

Pronunciation[edit]

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ðɛə(ɹ)/, /ðɛː(ɹ)/

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /ðɛɚ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛə(ɹ)
• Homophones: there, they're

Determiner[edit]

their

1. Belonging to, from, of, or relating to, them (plural).
   • 2012 May 5, Phil McNulty, “Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool”, in BBC Sport:

     For Liverpool, their season will now be regarded as a relative disappointment after failure to add the FA Cup to the Carling Cup and not mounting a challenge to reach the Champions League places.

   • 2013 July 20, “The attack of the MOOCs”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8845:

     Since the launch early last year of […] two Silicon Valley start-ups offering free education through MOOCs, massive open online courses, the ivory towers of academia have been shaken to their foundations. University brands built in some cases over centuries have been forced to contemplate the possibility that information technology will rapidly make their existing business model obsolete.

   they will meet tomorrow at their convenience

   this is probably their cat

2. Belonging to someone (one person, singular).
   • 1594, Shakespeare, William, The Comedy of Errors, act IV, scene 3, line 1172:

     There's not a man I meet but doth salute me
     As if I were their well-acquainted friend […]

   • 2006, St. John Ambulance, First on the Scene: Student Reference Guide, →ISBN, Lesson 2, page 3:

     Place the casualty on their back with feet and legs raised—this is called the shock position. [emphasis in original] Once the casualty is positioned, cover them to preserve body heat, but do not overheat.

   • 2007, Rowling, J. K., Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, (quoted edition: London: Bloomsbury, 2008, →ISBN, page 93):

     ‘I mean ... if somebody made a mistake,’ Harry went on, ‘and let something slip, I know they didn’t mean to do it. It’s not their fault,’ he repeated, again a little louder than he would usually have spoken.

   • For more examples of usage of this term, see Citations:their.

Usage notes[edit]

• Regarding the use of singular their, see they.
• The words their, there, and they're are homophones in most English accents today. This often causes confusion between the three in writing.

Related terms[edit]

• they, them (personal pronouns, subject and object case)
• theirs (possessive pronoun)

Translations[edit]

Adverb[edit]

their

1. Misspelling of there.

Contraction[edit]

their

1. Misspelling of they’re.

See also[edit]

Anagrams[edit]

• Erith, Reith, Rieth, rithe, tehri, theri-

Middle English[edit]

Determiner[edit]

their

1. Alternative form of þeir

References[edit]

• “their(e, (pron.)” in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 4 June 2018.

Scottish Gaelic[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /heːr/

Verb[edit]

their

1. future of abair

Usage notes[edit]

• The dependent form is abair.