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the definition

Overview

This page has 44 definitions of the with English translations in 11 languages. The is a article, an adverb, preposition, pronoun, verb, noun, particle, determiner, an adjective and conjunction. Examples of how to use the in a sentence are shown. Also define these 0 related words and terms: .

See also: Appendix:Variations of "the"

English the definition

Pronunciation

  • (when stressed)
  • (when unstressed and prevocalic)
  • (when unstressed and preconsonantal)
pronunciation notes

The word the is commonly pronounced /ðiː/ whenever it is pronounced as a distinct word, e.g.:

  • When it is used for emphasis (This is the hospital for open-heart surgery).
  • When the speaker pauses between the and the next word (the … sovereignty).
  • In many but not all dialects, when the next word begins with a vowel sound (the onion) (compare with a vs. an).

The word is generally pronounced indistinctly as /ðə/ or merely /ð/ in other situations, such as when attached to a word beginning with a consonant sound.

"the" vs. "ye"

The typographical pronunciation /jiː/ ("Ye Old...") is a deliberately archaic retronym from ye, which is a variant spelling of þe, from Old English þē pronounced thē, /θeː/, /ðeː/ (using y in place of the thorn (þ). It is not actually a separate pronunciation in Middle English. The actual morpheme /jiː/ in Middle English represents ȝe-, a variant spelling of the prefix y- attached to verbs and used to denote a verbal past participle.

Etymology 1

From Middle English þe, from Old English þē m (“the, that”, demonstrative pronoun), a late variant of sē, the s- (which occurred in the masculine and feminine nominative singular only) having been replaced by the þ- from the oblique stem.

replaced words, cognates

Originally neutral nominative, in Middle English it superseded all previous Old English nominative forms (sē m, sēo f, þæt n, þā pl); sē is from Proto-West Germanic *siz, from Proto-Germanic *sa, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *só.

Cognate with Saterland Frisian die (“the”), West Frisian de (“the”), Dutch de (“the”), German Low German de (“the”), German der (“the”), Danish de (“the”), Swedish de (“the”), Icelandic sá (“that”) within Germanic and with Sanskrit sá (“the, that”), Ancient Greek ὁ (ho, “the”), Tocharian B se (“this”) among other Indo-European languages[1].

Article

the

  1. Used before a noun phrase, including a simple noun
    1. The definite grammatical article that implies necessarily that the noun phrase it immediately precedes is definitely identifiable
      1. because it has already been mentioned, is to be completely specified in the same sentence, or very shortly thereafter. [from 10th c.]
        I’m reading the book Mary reviewed. (Compare I’m reading a book Mary reviewed.)
        You live on Main Street, don't you? You know, you should tell the mayor the street needs cleaning.
        The men and women watched the man give the birdseed to the bird.
        The street that runs all the way through my hometown.
        • 2016, VOA Learning English‎[1], archived from the original on 30 September 2017:
          I sleep in the bedroom!
      2. because it is presumed to be definitely known in context or from shared knowledge
        1. Used before a noun designating something considered to be unique, or of which there is only one at a time. [from 10th c.]
          No one knows how many galaxies there are in the universe.
          God save the Queen!
        2. Used to indicate a certain example of (a noun) which is usually of most concern or most common or familiar. [from 12th c.]
          No one in the whole country had seen it before.
          I don't think I'll get to it until the morning.
          Take me to the airport/station/hospital/office/park/match/meeting.
        3. Used before a body part, a family member, a pet (especially of someone previously mentioned), as an alternative to a possessive pronoun. [from 12th c.]
          A stone hit him on the head. (= “A stone hit him on his head.”)
          How's the wife? (= "How is your wife?")
        4. Used in many idiomatic expressions and proverbs to refer to common objects, roles, or situations connected with something definite, as by analogy
          square the circle; feel the pinch; beat around the bush; throw the baby out with the bathwater
    2. When stressed, indicates that it describes something which is considered to be best or exclusively worthy of attention. [from 18th c.]
      That is the hospital to go to for heart surgery.
      • 1925 July – 1926 May, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “(please specify the chapter number)”, in The Land of Mist (eBook no. 0601351h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg Australia, published April 2019:
        "Good Heavens, man! Why, he is the authority. If you want pure laboratory experiments those are the books."
      • 2012 May 27, Nathan Rabin, “TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “New Kid On The Block” (season 4, episode 8; originally aired 11/12/1992)”, in The Onion AV Club‎[2]:
        “New Kid On The Block” doubles as a terrific showcase for the Sea Captain who, in the grand tradition of Simpsons supporting characters, quickly goes from being a stereotype to an archetype, from being a crusty sea-captain character to the crusty sea-captain character.
    3. Used before a noun phrase beginning with superlative or comparative adjective or an ordinal number, indicating that the noun refers to a single item.
      That was the juiciest apple pie ever.
      May the better man win.
    4. Introducing a singular term to be taken generically: preceding a name of something standing for a whole class. [from 9th c.]
      The downy woodpecker can be found in the same environments as the hairy woodpecker.
    5. Used with the plural of a surname to indicate the entire family.
      The Bushes have held political office for several decades and the Kennedys longer.
  2. Used with an adjective
    1. Added to a superlative or an ordinal number to make it into a substantive. [from 9th c.]
      That apple pie was the best.
    2. Used before an adjective, indicating all things (especially persons) described by that adjective. [from 9th c.]
      Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, comfort the afflicted, and afflict the comfortable.
      One doesn't choose the color of one's chess pieces, the white are assigned to the player who moves first.
Usage notes
Usage notes (with proper nouns)

The word the precedes proper nouns in a number of cases, although most proper nouns use no article. There are always exceptions. See also Appendix:English proper nouns for more information.

Countries

As a general rule, country names are not preceded by the. There are a few exceptions, most of which are pluralised:

Names of countries containing specifications like kingdom, republic etc are used with the:

Place names

Some place names use a definite article:

  • All oceans (The Atlantic Ocean, The Pacific Ocean)
  • All seas (The Red Sea, The Bering Sea, The Caribbean Sea), and straits (The Strait of Magellan, the Bering Strait, The Bosphorus)
  • All rivers (The Amazon, The Nile, The Mississippi, The Seine, The Yangtze), canals (The Panama Canal, The Suez Canal) and deltas (The Nile Delta, The Orinoco Delta, The Colorado River Delta)
  • All art galleries (The Tate, The Louvre, The Smithsonian American Art Museum), all museums with the word museum in the name (The Museum of Natural History, The British Museum)
  • Most English-language newspapers (The New York Times, The Guardian, The Chronicle, The Wall Street Journal)
  • All North American railroads, even when not referred to by their full names or only by nicknames (The Pennsylvania Railroad, The Reading (Reading Railroad), The Frisco (St. Louis–San Francisco Railway))
  • Some towns (the Bronx, The Hague, The Valley, The Farrington, The Quarter, The Plains, The Dalles, The Villages, The Woodlands, The Pas, the Vatican, The Hyde, the West End, the East End, or the City of ...)
Bands

Musical bands with a plural name are generally used with the:

Universities

University names beginning with the word "University", and some other university names, are used with the:

  • The University of North Carolina
  • The Ohio State University
Usage notes (with adjectives)

When used before an adjective which is not followed by a noun, it may refer to a group of people for which the adjective is appropriate:

  • the Scottish = Scots
  • the rich = rich people (considered as a group)
Alternative forms
  • da (d'), teh (informal or dialectal)
  • de (eye dialect, AAVE)
  • t' (Northern England)
  • th' (poetic)
  • ye (archaic), ye (archaic, abbreviation), yͤ (archaic, abbreviation)
  • ẏe (obsolete), ẏe (obsolete, abbreviation)
Synonyms
Derived terms
terms derived from the (article)
Translations
article
used as an alternative to a possessive pronoun before body parts
References
  1. ^ Dunkel, George E. (2014) Lexikon der indogermanischen Partikeln und Pronominalstämme [Lexicon of Indo-European Particles and Pronominal Stems] (Indogermanische Bibliothek. 2. Reihe: Wörterbücher) (in German), Heidelberg: Universitätsverlag Winter GmbH Heidelberg, →ISBN, pages 732-733

Etymology 2

From Middle English the, thy, thi, from Old English þē̆, probably a neuter instrumental form ("by that, thereby")—alongside the more common þȳ and þon—of the demonstrative pronoun sē ("that"). Compare Dutch des te ("the, the more"), German desto ("the, all the more"), Norwegian fordi ("because"), Icelandic því (“the; because”), Faroese tí, Swedish ty.

Adverb

the (not comparable)

  1. With a comparative or with more and a verb phrase, establishes a correlation with one or more other such comparatives.
    The hotter(,) the better. (comma usually omitted in such very short expressions)
    The more I think about it, the weaker it looks.
    The more money donated, the more books purchased, and the more happy children.
    It looks weaker and weaker, the more I think about it.
  2. With a comparative, and often with for it, indicates a result more like said comparative. This can be negated with none.
    It was a difficult time, but I’m the wiser for it.
    It was a difficult time, and I’m {none - not any} the wiser for it.
    I'm much the wiser for having had a difficult time like that.
  3. (with a superlative adjective) Beyond all others.
    We went the furthest under her leadership.; The they trusted him the most.
Usage notes

This is called the "comparative correlative", but it is also known as the "correlative construction", the "conditional comparative", or the "the...the construction".

Derived terms
Translations
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Dictionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Etymology 3

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Preposition

the

  1. For each; per.
    valued at half a pound the bushel; paying seven dollars the year interest
    • 1837, James Edward Alexander, Narrative of a Voyage of Observation Among the Colonies of Western Africa, in the Flag-ship Thalia; and of a Campaign in Kaffir-land, on the Staff of the Commander-in-Chief, in 1835, volume 1, London: Henry Colburn, pages 251–2:
      Next morning I was up at an early hour, to see the market held near the water gate. The beef was excellent: but at the high prices of ten-pence and one shilling the pound; mutton at the same price; fowls a dollar the couple, and showing “more feathers than flesh.”
    • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:the.

See also

See also

References

  • “the”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

Crimean Gothic the definition

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *sa.

Article

the

  1. the
    • 1562, Ogier Ghiselin de Busbecq, (Please provide the book title or journal name):
      omnibus vero dictionibus praeponebat articulum tho aut the
      [he/she] placed the article tho or the before every word
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Usage notes

While it is likely that Crimean Gothic retained grammatical gender, de Busbecq's letter does not mention which articles are used with which words, making it impossible to reconstruct their gender.

Danish the definition

Noun

the c

  1. Alternative spelling of te (“tea”)
    • 2016, Thorkild Hansen, Genklang: Rejser og portrætter 1959-89, Gyldendal A/S, →ISBN:
      Vi vågnede ved 6tiden og lavede dejlig the.
      We got up at about 6 AM and made lovely tea.
    • 2015, Lotte Heise, Tina Bryld, Selvfølgelig skal hun bo hos mig: om at bo med sin handicappede mor, Gyldendal A/S, →ISBN:
      Hun smiler over hele femøren, da duften af te breder sig: ”Uha, dejlig the.”
      She smiles broadly, as the scent of tea spreads: ”Oh, lovely tea.”

Declension

Declension of the
common
gender 		Singular
indefinite definite
nominative the theen
genitive thes theens

Eastern Arrernte the definition

Pronoun

the

  1. I (first person singular pronoun)

References

Hadza the definition

Pronunciation

Pronoun

the m (fem. theko)

  1. you (thou)

Related terms

Interlingua the definition

Pronunciation

Noun

the (plural thes)

  1. tea

Irish the definition

Pronunciation

Adjective

the

  1. Lenited form of te.

Italian the definition

Noun

the

  1. Misspelling of tè.

Middle English the definition

Etymology 1

Article

the

  1. Alternative form of þe (“the”)

Etymology 2

Pronoun

the

  1. Alternative form of þe (“thee”)

Etymology 3

Pronoun

the

  1. Alternative form of þei (“they”)

Etymology 4

Verb

the

  1. Alternative form of theen

Murrinh-Patha the definition

Noun

the

  1. ear

See also

  • ye (incorporated noun)

References

  • Mark Abley (2003) Spoken Here: Travels Among Threatened Languages

Old High German the definition

Alternative forms

Particle

the (indeclinable, relative)

  1. that, who, which

References

  1. Braune, Wilhelm. Althochdeutsches Lesebuch, zusammengestellt und mit Glossar versehen

Old Saxon the definition

Etymology 1

From Proto-Germanic *sa. The original s- was replaced by th- by analogy with the other forms, but still preserved in the variant sē.

Determiner

thē

  1. that, that one
    them uuīha uuīsa lēstean: To obey that holy wise.
Declension
Declension of thē
Singular Plural
Masculine Neuter Feminine
nominative the that thiu thia
accusative thana that thia thia
genitive thes thes thera thero
dative themu themu theru them
instrumental thiu -
Descendants
  • Middle Low German: de
    • Low German: de

Etymology 2

From Proto-Germanic *þa, from Proto-Indo-European *tó, *te-.

Particle

the (indeclinable, relative)

  1. that, who, which

Phalura the definition

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

Postposition

the (تھےۡ)

  1. to
  2. for
  3. at

References

  • Liljegren, Henrik; Haider, Naseem (2011) Palula Vocabulary (FLI Language and Culture Series; 7)‎[3], Islamabad, Pakistan: Forum for Language Initiatives, →ISBN

Scots the definition

Etymology

From Old English se.

Determiner

the

  1. the

Serbo-Croatian the definition

Etymology

Borrowed from English the, which sounds similar to Serbo-Croatian da.

Conjunction

the (no known Cyrillic variant)

  1. (Internet slang) Alternative spelling of da
    neki kreten the ih drka emotivno
    some jerk to fuck with them emotionally
    the ovo okačim na fb wall, garant ne bih opstala od borKINJa za ženska prava
    if I posted this on my FB wall, I surely wouldn't survive the women rights fighters

South Slavey the definition

Etymology

Cognates include Dogrib whe.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [θɛ̀(ʔ)]
  • Hyphenation: the

Noun

the (stem -dhe-)

  1. belt

Inflection

Possessive inflection of the (-dheé)
singular plural
1st person sedheé naxedheé
2nd person nedheé
3rd person 1) — gidheé
2) medheé godheé
4th person yedheé
reflexive sp. ɂededheé kededheé
unsp. dedheé
reciprocal — ɂełedheé
indefinite ɂedheé
areal godheé
1) Used when the subject is a group of human beings and the object is singular.
2) Used when the previous condition does not apply.

References

  • Keren Rice (1989) A Grammar of Slave, Berlin, West Germany: Mouton de Gruyter, →ISBN, page 38

Swedish the definition

Noun

the n

  1. Alternative spelling of te (tea)

Declension

Declension of the 
Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative the theet theer theerna
Genitive thes theets theers theernas

Anagrams

Vietnamese the definition

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 紗 (SV: sa).

Noun

the

  1. a kind of silk gauze
See also
Derived terms
  • buồng the
  • phòng the

Etymology 2

Adjective

the • (𦂛, 𫄋)

  1. having a strong and fragrant smell or flavor, usually overlaps with what described as "minty" or "citrusy" in English

See also

Derived terms
  • the mát

Welsh the definition

Noun

the

  1. Aspirate mutation of te.

Mutation

Welsh mutation
radical soft nasal aspirate
te de nhe the
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Yola the definition

Article

the

  1. Alternative form of a (“the”)
    • 1867, “A YOLA ZONG”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, number 12:
      Th' ball want a cowlee, the gazb maate all rize;
      The ball o'er shot the goal, the dust rose all about;

References

  • Jacob Poole (1867), William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, page 88
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