Their Meaning
Their Definition & Usage
Indicates possession or association by a group of people, animals, or things.
Examples
- "The students returned their books to the library."
- "The team celebrated their victory late into the night."
- "I saw their car parked outside the house."
- "They will be hosting their annual event next week."
- "The cats are playing with their toys in the yard."
Used for gender-neutral singular subjects as a way to avoid specifying gender.
Examples
- "Each person should bring their own lunch to the picnic."
- "If anyone needs help, they should reach out to their supervisor."
- "Someone forgot their umbrella in the café."
- "The employee is expected to complete their report by Friday."
- "The customer left their bag at the counter."
Cultural Context
The use of 'their' as a gender-neutral pronoun is relatively new in the English language but has grown in popularity, especially in the last few decades, as society has become more conscious of gender inclusivity. 'Their' in this context is typically used to refer to a singular person whose gender is not identified or is irrelevant to the discussion.
The Search for the Lost Phone
Story
The Search for the Lost Phone
Lena and her friends had spent the entire day at the park, enjoying the sunny afternoon. As the sun began to set, the group started packing up their things, ready to head home. Suddenly, Lena stopped and looked around. 'Wait, I can't find my phone!' she exclaimed. Her friends began to help her search, but no one could find it. After a few minutes, Maria had an idea. 'Maybe someone found it and left it by the benches over there.' So, they all walked over to the benches, but there was no phone in sight. 'Could it have fallen under the table?' asked Josh. 'Maybe,' Lena replied, still hopeful. As they checked every possible spot, a park worker approached them. 'I believe I found this,' he said, holding up a phone. 'Is it yours?' He handed it to Lena, and she immediately recognized it. 'Yes, that's mine! Thank you so much!' she said, relieved. 'I guess someone else found it and took it to safety,' Lena added, smiling at her friends. Maria smiled back. 'Well, at least someone cared enough to keep it safe until its owner could get it back.' The group laughed, and they left the park together, happy to have found both the phone and a reminder that people often look out for each other, even in unexpected ways.
