we
- 1The person speaking together with one or more other people.
We are going to the beach this weekend with my cousins.
We'll let you know when we have decided.
UsageTo say how many people are in your group, use there are three of us.
Note
- 2Used for a group you belong to or support, like your company, team, or country.
We will state our reasons for publishing the name in due course.
At our bakery, we bake all our bread fresh every morning.
UsageSay we at our company or as a team, we.
Note
- 3People in general, or all human beings, including the speaker.
We all need sleep to stay healthy and think clearly.
As we age, our bones grow lighter.
Note
- 4Used in explanations, such as math, to walk the reader through the steps together.
To solve the equation, we first collect the terms in x on one side.
Next we add the flour and stir gently.
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- 5Used to mean 'I', when talking to yourself or describing what you are doing to others.
Like a tour guide's 'we turn left here' when the guide is the only one who knows the way.
Fixing the sink alone, she muttered, "Okay, now we turn off the water."
Alone in the kitchen, Dad said to himself, "Right, what are we cooking tonight?"
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Less common meanings
- 6Used before a noun to say that the speaker belongs to that group of people.
We parents worry about our kids all the time.
We teachers are used to being blamed.
UsageSay we parents need help, but help us parents and for us parents.
Note
- 7Used to mean 'you', often by nurses or teachers, as in 'How are we feeling today?'
How are we feeling this morning, Mr. Jones?
Have we taken our pills today?
UsageWith adults, ask how are you? instead.
Note
- 8Used by a king or queen to mean 'I' when speaking as the monarch.
"We shall now hear the case," said the king from his throne.
"We have decided to close the parliament," said the king.
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- 9Used by a carer about the person they look after, as if speaking for both.
When I asked about Grandpa, the nurse said, "We had a good night."
"We slept well and ate all our breakfast," the nurse told the patient's wife.
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- 10In some regional speech, such as Tyneside or old West Country, used as the object, meaning 'us'.
Give we a hand with this gate.
They never told we nothing about it.
UsageIn standard English, say give us a hand.
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- 11Used by one writer or speaker instead of "I", especially in school or research papers, to sound less personal.
"In this essay we will show why bees matter," Sam wrote at the top of his paper.
Though she did the whole project by herself, Ana wrote, "We measured the plants every day."
UsageCheck your course or journal's rules: some prefer I when only one person wrote the paper.
Note
- 12In the card game bridge, your own side, the pair keeping the score.
Showing meanings only.
Practice
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Origin
This word comes from Old English "wē," meaning "we." It goes back to very old Germanic and Indo-European roots.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
- English we descends from Old English wē, meaning we. en.wiktionary.org
- The word has Germanic and Indo-European ancestry. en.wikisource.org