# him

Pronunciation: say "HIM" /ˈhɪm/

## Pronoun

1. Used to refer to a man, boy or male animal already mentioned or easily identified, as the object of a verb or preposition, and after be, than or as.
   - Simple: Used for a man, boy or male animal, after a verb or after words like 'to', 'than' or 'is'.
   - _That's him in the blue jacket._
   - _Nobody runs as fast as him._
2. Used as the subject of a verb when joined to another noun or pronoun by and, where standard English uses he. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Used as the subject with 'and' in casual speech, as in 'him and Bernie'.
   - _Him and Sara are getting married._
   - _Him and the dog go running every morning._
4. Stressed and without an antecedent, the standout person with elite skill at a sport or game. *(slang)*
   - Simple: In slang, the best or most skilled person, as in 'he's him'.
   - _He scored forty points last night; he's him._
   - _Stop showing off, you're not him._

## Noun

3. A male person or animal. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A male person or animal, used as a noun in casual speech.
   - _The vet said the kitten is a him._
   - _When the vet asked if the rabbit was a him or a her, nobody in the family knew._

## Pronoun

5. Used reflexively, referring back to a male subject. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: An old way of saying 'himself', as in 'he set him in his seat'.

## Origin

From Middle English "him," from Old English "him," going back to Proto-Germanic *himmai ("to this, to this one"). It is related to Dutch "hem" and German "ihm" (the dative "him").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/him (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).