him

views updated Jun 27 2018

him / him/ • pron. [third person sing.] 1. used as the object of a verb or preposition to refer to a male person or animal previously mentioned or easily identified: his wife survived him he took the children with him. Compare with he. ∎ referring to a person or animal of unspecified sex (in modern use chiefly replaced by “him or her” or “them”): withdrawing your child from school to educate him at home may seem drastic. ∎ often used in place of “he” after the verb “to be” and after “than” or “as” to refer to a male person or animal: that's him all right I could never be as good as him.See usage below. 2. archaic or dial. himself: in the depths of him, he too didn't want to go.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

him

views updated May 21 2018

him orig. dat. of HE1, it; later also as direct object. OE. him = MDu. hem(e), him (Du. hem), f. pronominal base *χi- HE1; cf. parallel forms on the base *i-, viz. OS., OHG. imu, imo (G. ihm), Goth. imma.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD

HIM

views updated Jun 08 2018

HIM Brit. • abbr. Her or His Imperial Majesty.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

HIM

views updated Jun 11 2018

HIM His (or Her) Imperial Majesty

The Oxford Dictionary of Abbreviations FRAN ALEXANDER , PETER BLAIR , JOHN DAINTITH , ALICE GRANDISON , VALERIE ILLINGWORTH , ELIZABETH MARTIN , ANNE STIBBS , JUDY PEARSALL , and SARA TULLOCH