From Middle English him, from Old English him, from Proto-Germanic *himmai (“to this, to this one”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian him (“him”), West Frisian him (“him”), Sylt North Frisian ham, höm (“him”), Dutch hem (“him”), German Low German hum, hüm, em (“him”), German ihm (“him”, dative).
Meanings
(informal) A male person or animal.
Both hims took a good look at him. 2004, Tom Wolfe, I Am Charlotte Simmons: A Novel:
I think this bird is a him, but it may be a her.
[…] daring dizzying passages in other, fleeting and passionate dwellings within the hims and hers whom she inhabits […] 1985, Hélène Cixous, Sorties (translated)
By this time, she had so many questions, but she only hit him up for one answer about those “hims” and “hers.” She asked, “Do both hims and hers reproduce hummers?” 2004, Charles J. Sullivan, Love and Survival, page 68:
From Middle English him, from Old English him, from Proto-Germanic *himmai (“to this, to this one”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian him (“him”), West Frisian him (“him”), Sylt North Frisian ham, höm (“him”), Dutch hem (“him”), German Low German hum, hüm, em (“him”), German ihm (“him”, dative).
Meanings
(objective, personal, pronoun) A masculine pronoun; he as a grammatical object. ▸ With dative effect or as an indirect object.
‘I promise,’ he said as I gave him the papers. 1897, Bram Stoker, Dracula, Westminster [London]: Archibald Constable and Company, […], →OCLC:
[…]therfoꝛ Chꝛiſt wold not call him abominable / But the verye abomination it ſilf. 1529, John Frith, A piſtle to the Chriſten reader […] :
(objective, personal, pronoun) A masculine pronoun; he as a grammatical object. ▸ Following a preposition.
She was in no humour for conversation with anyone but himself; and to him she had hardly courage to speak. 1813 January 27, [Jane Austen], Pride and Prejudice: […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: […] [George Sidney] for T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC:
(objective, personal, pronoun) A masculine pronoun; he as a grammatical object. ▸ With accusative effect or as a direct object.
‘He's got it buttoned in his breast. I saw him put it there.’ 1852 March – 1853 September, Charles Dickens, Bleak House, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1853, →OCLC:
(colloquial, objective, personal, pronoun, uncommon) As a grammatical subject or object when joined with a conjunction.
Now him and Bernie are best friends.
He released a [statement] warning that him and 25,000 troops were going to stage a coup.
(objective, personal, pronoun) Used in isolation or apposition, or (sometimes proscribed) as the complement of the copula (be).
Who did that? —(It was) not him: I was watching him the whole time.
Who was there? —Him.
Who did this? —Him. He did it. (or:) It was him. He did it.)
(archaic, objective, personal, pronoun) Used reflexively: (to) himself.
Apon a daye apoynted, the kynge arayed hym in royall apparell, and set hym in his seate, and made an oracion unto them. 1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, Acts:
Though poor the peasant’s hut, his feasts though small,
He sees his little lot the lot of all;
[...]
But calm, and bred in ignorance and toil,
Each wish contracting, fits him to the soil. 1765, Oliver Goldsmith, The traveller, or, A prospect of society:
(objective, personal, pronoun) With nominative effect: he, especially as a predicate after be, or following a preposition.
Before my body, I throw my warlike Shield: Lay on Macduffe, And damn'd be him, that first cries hold, enough. c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene x]:
Lowe quit the West Wing last year amid rumours that he was unhappy that his co-stars earned more than him. 2003 June 11, Claire Cozens, The Guardian:
(objective, personal, pronoun, slang) A person of elevated skill at a sport, game, or other activity.
They must have amnesia, they forgot that I'm him. 2023, PLUMMCORP RECORDS, 0:33 from the start, in dracula flow 3:
Watched this one live, he randomly got it less than an hour into the stream while derusting for PACE. He's just him. 2023 October 25, u/baggypantsman, “Super Mario 64 - 0 Star in 6:16 by Suigi”, in Reddit, r/speedrun, archived from the original on 23 Dec 2023:
fi häneksi (objective after preposition) · ar ـهِ (dative / indirect object) · pt bambambã (noteworthy person) · wo ko (accusative / direct object) · grc τούτῳ (dative / indirect object) · sga a- (accusative / direct object) · scn ci (dative / indirect object) · hu neki (dative / indirect object) · grc ἕ (objective after preposition) · ang hine (accusative / direct object) · cs jemu (objective after preposition) · grc ἐκείνῳ (dative / indirect object) · sga -i (accusative / direct object) · bzj ahn (accusative / direct object) · fi hänet (accusative / direct object) · grc ἕ (accusative / direct object) · la hunc (accusative / direct object) · grc τούτῳ (objective after preposition) · ar ـهُ (accusative / direct object) · wa el (accusative / direct object) · te ఆయన్ని (accusative / direct object) · sga d- (accusative / direct object) · la eum (accusative / direct object) · it lo (accusative / direct object) · pt bom (noteworthy person) · zza eyrê (dative / indirect object) · be яго́ (accusative / direct object) · zu -lo (objective after preposition) · la istum (accusative / direct object) · dsb jomu (dative / indirect object) · es lo (accusative / direct object) · pl jego (accusative / direct object) · ro lui (dative / indirect object) · ro îi (dative / indirect object) · fy him (objective after preposition) · wa lyi (dative / indirect object) · hy իրեն (accusative / direct object) · ru ему́ (dative / indirect object) · grc οἷ (objective after preposition) · pt o cara (noteworthy person) · sk ho (accusative / direct object) · grc τοῦδε (objective after preposition) · la huic (objective after preposition) · la huic (dative / indirect object) · grc τόνδε (accusative / direct object) · sk nemu (objective after preposition) · grc τοῦτον (accusative / direct object) · sk jemu (dative / indirect object) · sga -it (accusative / direct object) · fi häntä (objective after preposition) · es él (objective after preposition) · ro (pe) el (accusative / direct object) · pt ele (objective after preposition) · uk йому́ (dative / indirect object) · el αυτόν (dative / indirect object) · hy նրան (dative / indirect object) · fi hänestä (objective after preposition) · cs jeho (accusative / direct object) · grc τῷδε (dative / indirect object) · grc τόνδε (objective after preposition) · la illum (accusative / direct object) · ar إِيَّاهُ (accusative / direct object) · grc τῷ (objective after preposition) · he אותו (accusative / direct object) · grc ἐκείνου (objective after preposition) · pt lhe (dative / indirect object) · zu -ye (objective after preposition) · hu őt (accusative / direct object) · zu sona (accusative / direct object) · grc τοῦ (objective after preposition) · frr ham (accusative / direct object) · la eī (dative / indirect object) · sk jeho (accusative / direct object) · mk нему (objective after preposition) · eo li (dative / indirect object) · ar ـهِ (accusative / direct object) · ang him (dative / indirect object) · uk його́ (accusative / direct object) · mk го (accusative / direct object) · grc οὗ (objective after preposition) · hy իրեն (dative / indirect object) · fi häntä (accusative / direct object) · grc τῷ (dative / indirect object) · fr le (accusative / direct object) · grc ὅν (accusative / direct object) · es le (dative / indirect object) · la illō (objective after preposition) · de ihn (accusative / direct object) · fi häneksi (dative / indirect object) · nl hem (objective after preposition) · frr ham (dative / indirect object) · zu -wo (objective after preposition) · cs ho (accusative / direct object) · it gli (dative / indirect object) · fi hänelle (dative / indirect object) · cs mu (objective after preposition) · sga id- (objective after preposition) · de ihm (dative / indirect object) · zu lona (accusative / direct object) · ar ـهُ (objective after preposition) · la hōc (objective after preposition) · grc αὐτόν (accusative / direct object) · la istī (objective after preposition) · cs jemu (dative / indirect object) · zu yena (accusative / direct object) · eo lin (accusative / direct object) · dsb jogo (accusative / direct object) · grc τοῦτον (objective after preposition) · grc ἐκεῖνον (objective after preposition) · it lui (objective after preposition) · sga id- (accusative / direct object) · zu yona (accusative / direct object) · la hunc (objective after preposition) · sga did- (objective after preposition) · la illum (objective after preposition) · fi häneen (dative / indirect object) · grc ᾧ (objective after preposition) · dsb njomu (objective after preposition) · te వాణ్ని (accusative / direct object) · tr ona (dative / indirect object) · pt o (accusative / direct object) · fi häneen (objective after preposition) · la illī (dative / indirect object) · zu lona (accusative / direct object) · la istō (objective after preposition) · zu -so (objective after preposition) · xcl նմա (dative / indirect object) · ar ـهِ (objective after preposition) · tr onu (accusative / direct object) · te అతణ్ని (accusative / direct object) · wa l' (accusative / direct object) · sk neho (objective after preposition) · pl mu (dative / indirect object) · grc τόν (accusative / direct object) · fi hänelle (objective after preposition) · wa lu (objective after preposition) · ro îl (accusative / direct object) · fi hänestä (dative / indirect object) · ru его́ (accusative / direct object) · pl niego (objective after preposition) · la istī (dative / indirect object) · grc ἐκεῖνον (accusative / direct object) · zza ayer (accusative / direct object) · nl hem (dative / indirect object) · grc τόν (objective after preposition) · eo li (objective after preposition) · grc ὅν (objective after preposition) · ar ـهُ (dative / indirect object) · zza eyer (accusative / direct object) · la illī (objective after preposition) · mk него (accusative / direct object) · grc τούτου (objective after preposition) · zu wona (accusative / direct object) · grc ἐκείνῳ (objective after preposition) · fr lui (objective after preposition) · grc τῷδε (objective after preposition) · wa lu (accusative / direct object) · mk му (dative / indirect object) · fy him (dative / indirect object) · zu -yo (objective after preposition) · pl jemu (dative / indirect object) · fr lui (dative / indirect object) · cs mu (dative / indirect object) · sk mu (dative / indirect object) · eo al (dative / indirect object) · hy նրան (accusative / direct object) · grc ᾧ (dative / indirect object) · la istum (objective after preposition) · zza ayrê (dative / indirect object) · sga d- (objective after preposition) · grc αὐτῷ (dative / indirect object) · grc οἷ (dative / indirect object) · be яму́ (dative / indirect object) · zu -lo (objective after preposition) · mk му (objective after preposition) · fi häntä (dative / indirect object) · ga é (accusative / direct object) · pl go (accusative / direct object) · itk אֵיסוֹ (accusative / direct object) · mk нему (dative / indirect object) · ml അവൻ (accusative / direct object) · ar إِيَّاهُ (dative / indirect object) · nl hem (accusative / direct object) · hi उसे (dative / indirect object) · wa li (accusative / direct object) · sga did- (accusative / direct object)