you
[ yoo; unstressed yoo, yuh ]
/ yu; unstressed yʊ, yə /
pronoun, possessive your or yours, objective you, plural you.
noun, plural yous.
something or someone closely identified with or resembling the person addressed: Don't buy the bright red shirt—it just isn't you. It was like seeing another you.
the nature or character of the person addressed: Try to discover the hidden you.
Origin of you
before 900; Middle English; Old English
ēow (dative, accusative of
gē
ye1); cognate with Old Frisian
ju, Old Saxon
iu, Dutch
u, Old High German
iu, eu
usage note for you
In American English the pronoun
you has been supplemented by additional forms to make clear the distinction between singular and plural.
You-all, often pronounced as one syllable, is a widespread spoken form in the South Midland and Southern United States. Its possessive is often
you-all's rather than
your.
You-uns (from
you +
ones ) is a South Midland form most often found in uneducated speech; it is being replaced by
you-all.
Youse (
you + the plural
-s ending of nouns), probably of Irish-American origin, is most common in the North, especially in urban centers like Boston, New York, and Chicago. It is rare in educated speech.
You guys is a common informal expression among younger speakers; it can include persons of both sexes or even a group of women only. See also
me.
Words nearby you
Definition for you (2 of 2)
thou
1
[ th ou ]
/ ðaʊ /
pronoun, singular, nominative thou; possessive thy or thine; objective thee; plural, nominative you or ye; possessive your or yours; objective you or ye.
Archaic except in some elevated or ecclesiastical prose.
the personal pronoun of the second person singular in the nominative case (used to denote the person or thing addressed): Thou shalt not kill.
(used by the Friends) a familiar form of address of the second person singular.
verb (used with object)
to address as “thou.”
verb (used without object)
to use “thou” in discourse.
Origin of thou
1
before 900; Middle English; Old English
thū; cognate with German, Middle Dutch
du, Old Norse
thū, Gothic
thu, Old Irish
tú, Welsh, Cornish
ti, Latin
tū, Doric Greek
tý, Lithuanian
tù, OCS
ty; akin to Sanskrit
tvam; (v.) late Middle English
thowen, derivative of the pronoun
British Dictionary definitions for you (1 of 3)
you
/ (juː, unstressed jʊ) /
pronoun (subjective or objective)
refers to the person addressed or to more than one person including the person or persons addressed but not including the speaker
you know better; the culprit is among you
Also: one
refers to an unspecified person or people in general
you can't tell the boys from the girls
noun
informal
the personality of the person being addressed or something that expresses it
that hat isn't really you
you know what or you know who
a thing or person that the speaker cannot or does not want to specify
Word Origin for you
Old English
ēow, dative and accusative of
gē
ye
1; related to Old Saxon
eu, Old High German
iu, Gothic
izwis
undefined you
See
me 1
British Dictionary definitions for you (2 of 3)
thou
1
/ (ðaʊ) /
pronoun (subjective)
archaic, dialect
refers to the person addressed: used mainly in familiar address or to a younger person or inferior
(usually capital)
refers to God when addressed in prayer, etc
Word Origin for thou
Old English
thū; related to Old Saxon
thū, Old High German
du, Old Norse
thū, Latin
tū, Doric Greek
tu
British Dictionary definitions for you (3 of 3)
thou
2
/ (θaʊ) /
noun plural thous or thou
one thousandth of an inch. 1 thou is equal to 0.0254 millimetre
informal short for thousand
Idioms and Phrases with you
you