From Middle English me, from Old English mē (“me”, originally dative, but later also accusative, supplanting accusative mec), from Proto-West Germanic *miʀ, from Proto-Germanic *miz (“me”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁me- (“me”).
Cognate with Scots me, North Frisian me, Saterland Frisian mie, Dutch me, mij, Low German mi, German mir (dative only), Icelandic mér (also still dative), Latin mē, Ancient Greek μέ (mé), ἐμέ (emé), Sanskrit मा (mā), all meaning “me”.
Meanings
The self or personality of the speaker, especially their authentic self.
“In these last few days I keep feeling that I’m changing, changing into something I don’t quite recognize myself.” / “You’ve become more like yourself.” / “Could there be two mes?” / “Perhaps more than two.” / “It gets worse and worse. So which me do you actually love ?” / “All of them.” / “You’re being slippery.” Her lips curled slyly. “In fact you only love the me in your mind’s eye, and that me doesn’t exist, right?” / “No, that’s the combination of all the yous.” / She laughed. “It’s just as complicated as a mathematical calculation, if you end up with the three-headed, six-armed me, could you stand that?” 1990, Bei Dao [pseudonym; Zhao Zhenkai], translated by Bonnie S. McDougall and Susette Ternent Cooke, Waves, New York, N.Y.: New Directions Publishing, →ISBN, page 158:
“Quite easily. Here you are taking care of a poor little boy with one arm, and there you are sinking a ship with the other. It can’t be like you.” “Ah, but which is me? I can’t be two mes, you know.” “No. Nobody can be two mes.” “Well, which me is me?” “Now I must think. There looks to be two.” “Yes. That’s the very point—You can’t be knowing the thing you don’t know, can you?” “No.” “Which me do you know?” “The kindest, goodest, best me in the world,” answered Diamond, clinging to North Wind. […] “Do you know the other me as well?” “No. I can’t. I shouldn’t like to.” “There it is. You don’t know the other me. You are sure of one of them?” “Yes.” “And you are sure there can’t be two mes?” “Yes.” “Then the me you don’t know must be the same as the me you do know—else there would be two mes?” “Yes.” “Then the other me you don’t know must be as kind as the me you do know?” 1871, George MacDonald, “[At the Back of the North Wind] Out in the Storm”, in Harry Thurston Peck, Frank R[ichard] Stockton, Julian Hawthorne, editors, Masterpieces of the World’s Literature, Ancient and Modern: The Great Authors of the World with Their Master Productions, volume XIV, New York, N.Y.: American Literary Society, published 1899, pages 7514–7515:
The question seems unanswerable, because if those same atoms were to be collected as they leave my body as waste in the normal process of metabolism, and in a year when my body contained all new atoms, those old atoms which were me a year ago were reformed into an exact replica of me down to the last thought and cell, would there be two mes? 1948 January, Rog Phillips [pseudonym; Roger Phillip Graham], “Hate”, in Amazing Stories, volume 22, number 1, Chicago, Ill.: Ziff-Davis Publishing Company, page 69, column 2:
From Middle English me, from Old English mē (“me”, originally dative, but later also accusative, supplanting accusative mec), from Proto-West Germanic *miʀ, from Proto-Germanic *miz (“me”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁me- (“me”).
Cognate with Scots me, North Frisian me, Saterland Frisian mie, Dutch me, mij, Low German mi, German mir (dative only), Icelandic mér (also still dative), Latin mē, Ancient Greek μέ (mé), ἐμέ (emé), Sanskrit मा (mā), all meaning “me”.
Meanings
(first-person, pronoun, singular) The first-person singular, as the object (of a verb, preposition, etc). ▸ As the object (direct or indirect) of a verb.
Shew me a token foꝛ good, that they which hate me may ſee it, and bee aſhamed: becauſe thou, Lord, haſt holpen me, and comfoꝛted me. 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Psalms 86:17, signature Fff, verso, column 2:
Can you hear me?
He gave me this.
(archaic, first-person, pronoun, proscribed, singular) The first-person singular, as the object (of a verb, preposition, etc). ▸ Myself; as a reflexive direct object of a verb.
And I awoke, and found me here. 1819, John Keats, La Belle Dame sans Merci:
(colloquial, first-person, pronoun, proscribed, singular) The first-person singular, as the object (of a verb, preposition, etc). ▸ Myself; as a reflexive indirect object of a verb; the ethical dative.
When I get to college, I'm gonna get me a white Nissan Sentra. 1993 April 14, Harper's Magazine:
(first-person, pronoun, singular) The first-person singular, as the object (of a verb, preposition, etc). ▸ As the object of a preposition.
Come with me.
(first-person, pronoun, singular) Used in isolation or apposition, or (sometimes proscribed) as the complement of the copula (be).
Who said that? —(It was) not me.
It's either me or Jeremy Corbyn. 2017, Theresa May, “Andrew Neil interviews Theresa May: full transcript”, in The Spectator, archived from the original on 22 May 2017:
Who did this? —Me. I did it. (or:) It was me. I did it.)
Who's there? —Me. (or:) It's only me.
(first-person, informal, nonstandard, often, pronoun, proscribed, singular, with a conjunction) I, the first-person singular, as the subject. ▸ As the subject of a verb.
Me and my friends played a game.
[It was] literally all me and my astrophysicist colleagues could talk about.
An employee was recently discussing her weekend on our Monday Zoom call (we go around the Zoom and share what we did over the weekend). She said, “Me and her went to the movies on Saturday night." I couldn’t contain it. I immediately responded with “X and I went to the movies on Saturday night, me and her never do anything, me can’t.” 2025 June 14, Anna Holmes, “Wait, People Are Bringing Their Whole Family to Job Interviews?”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
Stella and me have opted to take a course called ‘Autobiography and Fiction’.
(first-person, nonstandard, not with a conjunction, pronoun, proscribed, singular) I, the first-person singular, as the subject. ▸ As the subject of a verb. Sometimes used to indicate or imitate limited English fluency.
One of them, whose sobriquet was Big-headed Blackboy, was stretched out before the fire, and no answer could be obtained from him, but a drawling repetition, in grunts of displeasure, of "Bel (not) me want to go. 1844, Charles Wilkes, Narrative of the United States Exploring Expedition, volume II:
Well he said me mustn’t eat ’nanas cause ’nanas would make me sick. 1899 July 20, Mrs. A[lexander] J[effrey] McKelway [i.e., Lavinia Rutherford McKelway], “Children’s Department”, in A[lexander] J[effrey] McKelway, editor, Presbyterian Standard, volume XLI, number 28, Charlotte, N.C.: The Presbyterian Publishing Company, page 14, column 1:
Whoa! That was about the coolest thing ever! Me gotta see that again. 2005 October 10, Michael Chapman; Matthew Chapman, “Teen Girl Squad Issue #10”, in Homestar Runner, spoken by Strong Bad (Matthew Chapman):
(first-person, in apposition, nonstandard, pronoun, proscribed, singular) I, the first-person singular, as the subject. ▸ Would be the subject of a copula in standard English, though the copula is omitted; used to indicate or imitate limited English fluency.
“I should stick to Tarzan,” he [Johnny Weissmuller] explains. “You see, I’m no actor. Well, I didn’t have to act in ‘Tarzan, the Ape Man’—just said, ‘Me Tarzan, you Jane.’ I'll never be able to act.” 1932 June, Katherine Albert, “Hey! Hey! Here Comes Johnny”, in James R. Quirk, editor, Photoplay, volume XLII, number 1, Chicago, Ill.: Photoplay Publishing Company, page 119, column 2:
May opened the door, and a huge Indian walked into the room. “Me Bear Tracks,” he said. “Me hungry.” 1954 February 3, Mrs. John F. Underhill, “The Last Leaf” (Chapter Three: Bear Tracks), in Lawrence Maxwell, editor, Junior Guide, volume 2, number 5, Washington, D.C., page 7, column 2:
I (subject of a verb) · my ass (subject of a verb) · us · mine (marking ownership) · moi · moi (complement of the copula) · my (marking ownership) · I (complement of the copula)
Translations (299)
ja 私を (direct object of a verb) · lv sev (reflexive indirect object of a verb) · ar ـيَ (object of a preposition) · es yo (subject of a verb without “and”) · lo ຂ້ອຍ (direct object of a verb) · apw shíí (direct object of a verb) · is mig (object of a preposition) · de mir (reflexive indirect object of a verb) · cmn 我 (direct object of a verb) · cs mne (object of a preposition) · nl mij (direct object of a verb) · fur me (direct object of a verb) · sv mig (direct object of a verb) · vi cho mình (reflexive indirect object of a verb) · kw -av (object of a preposition) · fa-ira مرا (direct object of a verb) · ase 1@Sternum-FingerBack (indirect object of a verb) · hy ինձ (indirect object of a verb) · fi minua (atelic) (direct object of a verb) · no meg (indirect object of a verb) · cs já (subject of a verb with “and”) · cs si (reflexive indirect object of a verb) · ro mă (direct object of a verb) · gd mi (complement of the copula) · el εμένα (indirect object of a verb) · de mich (object of a preposition) · sga mé (complement of the copula) · hy ես (subject of a verb without “and”) · gd mise (subject of a verb with “and”) · ar إِيَّايَ (indirect object of a verb) · mk јас (subject of a verb without “and”) · ljp ñaʔ (indirect object of a verb) · is mig (direct object of a verb) · es me (direct object of a verb) · fr moi (subject of a verb without “and”) · sga messe (complement of the copula) · pt eu (complement of the copula) · dng вә (direct object of a verb) · pt eu (subject of a verb without “and”) · ar ـنِيَ (direct object of a verb) · yo mí (direct object of a verb) · ar ـنِيَ (object of a preposition) · ppl nech- (direct object of a verb) · cs mě (object of a preposition) · rup mini (direct object of a verb) · hi मैं (direct object of a verb) · arz ـني (direct object of a verb) · fi itselleni (reflexive indirect object of a verb) · mxi ميب (object of a preposition) · fi minä (subject of a verb without “and”) · mk си (reflexive indirect object of a verb) · zu yimi (complement of the copula) · es mí (direct object of a verb) · ga mise (indirect object of a verb) · si මා (direct object of a verb) · pt eu (subject of a verb with “and”) · ru меня́ (object of a preposition) · pt mim (object of a preposition) · vo obi (direct object of a verb) · no meg (object of a preposition) · da jeg (subject of a verb with “and”) · kw -iv (object of a preposition) · ur مجھ (direct object of a verb) · la me (direct object of a verb) · is ég (subject of a verb with “and”) · ms aku (-ku) (direct object of a verb) · zu mina (direct object of a verb) · tr beni (direct object of a verb) · ase 1@Sternum-FingerBack (object of a preposition) · pcc nyeez (direct object of a verb) · kix èi (object of a preposition) · pcc wois (direct object of a verb) · hi मुझ (direct object of a verb) · he לי (indirect object of a verb) · fr moi (object of a preposition) · sv jag (subject of a verb without “and”) · fr me (direct object of a verb) · et minu (direct object of a verb) · bn আমাকে (direct object of a verb) · nl me (object of a preposition) · kea mi (object of a preposition) · it me (indirect object of a verb) · my ကျုပ် (direct object of a verb) · bg ме (direct object of a verb) · es mí (object of a preposition) · sk ja (subject of a verb without “and”) · pt me (indirect object of a verb) · th ฉัน (direct object of a verb) · prs مرا (direct object of a verb) · nan-hbl 我 (direct object of a verb) · ro imi (indirect object of a verb) · sv mig (reflexive indirect object of a verb) · ase 1@Sternum-FingerBack (direct object of a verb) · ca mi (object of a preposition) · mk јас (complement of the copula) · no meg (reflexive indirect object of a verb) · kw 'm (direct object of a verb) · hy ինձ (direct object of a verb) · el εμένα (object of a preposition) · ga mise (direct object of a verb) · cs mně (indirect object of a verb) · cs mi (indirect object of a verb) · sk ja (subject of a verb with “and”) · da jeg (subject of a verb without “and”) · da mig (object of a preposition) · hu engem (direct object of a verb) · sga m- (direct object of a verb) · la me (object of a preposition) · kw dhymm (indirect object of a verb) · ru я (subject of a verb with “and”) · arz ـي (object of a preposition) · gv mee (direct object of a verb) · ru я (complement of the copula) · hu nekem (indirect object of a verb) · gil ti (direct object of a verb) · ja 私に (indirect object of a verb) · pcc gul (direct object of a verb) · it mi (direct object of a verb) · fi minä (indirect object of a verb) · fr moi (direct object of a verb) · bho हन (direct object of a verb) · ase 1@Sternum-FingerBack (subject of a verb with “and”) · yue 我 (direct object of a verb) · eo mi (complement of the copula) · ne मलाई (direct object of a verb) · fr moi (complement of the copula) · pt para mim (reflexive indirect object of a verb) · ljp ñaʔ (object of a preposition) · hy ինձ (object of a preposition) · mk ми (indirect object of a verb) · ltg mani (direct object of a verb) · ja 私へ (indirect object of a verb) · is ég (complement of the copula) · kea mi (direct object of a verb) · es me (indirect object of a verb) · ms aku (-ku) (object of a preposition) · pt me (direct object of a verb) · sk mnou (object of a preposition) · de mich (direct object of a verb) · kea ami (direct object of a verb) · be мяне́ (direct object of a verb) · es me (reflexive indirect object of a verb) · bg ме́не (direct object of a verb) · srn mi (direct object of a verb) · it me (object of a preposition) · is mér (object of a preposition) · sga dom- (direct object of a verb) · jje 나안티 (indirect object of a verb) · lv mani (direct object of a verb) · xcl ինձ (direct object of a verb) · cs mne (direct object of a verb) · fi minä (object of a preposition) · pt mim (direct object of a verb) · kix èi (direct object of a verb) · sk mňa (direct object of a verb) · fi minä (complement of the copula) · mn авах (reflexive indirect object of a verb) · fa-ira منو (direct object of a verb) · la mihi (indirect object of a verb) · my ငါ (direct object of a verb) · ar إِيَّايَ (direct object of a verb) · mnc ᠮᡳᠮᠪᡝ (direct object of a verb) · gd mi (indirect object of a verb) · hak 我 (direct object of a verb) · no meg (direct object of a verb) · eo mi (object of a preposition) · non mik (direct object of a verb) · es yo (subject of a verb with “and”) · sv jag (complement of the copula) · rom man (direct object of a verb) · la ego (subject of a verb with “and”) · et mind (direct object of a verb) · rm mi (direct object of a verb) · ru я (subject of a verb without “and”) · za gou (direct object of a verb) · mk мене (object of a preposition) · ga mé (complement of the copula) · eo mi (subject of a verb without “and”) · eo min (direct object of a verb) · ar ـنِي (indirect object of a verb) · ja 私 (object of a preposition) · ka მე (direct object of a verb) · ca em (direct object of a verb) · nl me (direct object of a verb) · eo mi (subject of a verb with “and”) · iso ụmẹ (direct object of a verb) · da mig (indirect object of a verb) · de ich (subject of a verb with “and”) · sk mi (indirect object of a verb) · ru меня́ (direct object of a verb) · my ကျွန်မ (direct object of a verb) · sk ja (complement of the copula) · id saya (direct object of a verb) · mr मला (direct object of a verb) · wo ma (direct object of a verb) · gd mi (object of a preposition) · chr ᎠᏯ (direct object of a verb) · prs مره (direct object of a verb) · hop nuy (direct object of a verb) · jje 날 (direct object of a verb) · nl mij (indirect object of a verb) · sga -um (direct object of a verb) · ga mé (indirect object of a verb) · fi mä (subject of a verb without “and”) · km ខ្ញុំ (direct object of a verb) · cho ʋno (direct object of a verb) · he אותי (direct object of a verb) · sk si (reflexive indirect object of a verb) · da mig (complement of the copula) · nl me (indirect object of a verb) · sk ma (direct object of a verb) · kw -ov (object of a preposition) · fr me (reflexive indirect object of a verb) · th ดิฉัน (direct object of a verb) · nl ik (subject of a verb without “and”) · mzn مه ره (direct object of a verb) · rm ma (direct object of a verb) · la mihi (object of a preposition) · mk јас (subject of a verb with “and”) · khb ᦃᦾᧉ (direct object of a verb) · lv man (indirect object of a verb) · as মোক (direct object of a verb) · th ผม (direct object of a verb) · rup mine (direct object of a verb) · sv jag (subject of a verb with “and”) · kmr min (direct object of a verb) · ru себе́ (reflexive indirect object of a verb) · fy my (direct object of a verb) · cs já (complement of the copula) · ar ـِي (object of a preposition) · te నన్ను (direct object of a verb) · no jeg (subject of a verb with “and”) · pl mnie (direct object of a verb) · de mir (indirect object of a verb) · de mir (object of a preposition) · ase 1@Sternum-FingerBack (complement of the copula) · el εμένα (direct object of a verb) · no meg (complement of the copula) · ar ـنِيَ (indirect object of a verb) · uk мені́ (indirect object of a verb) · gd gam (direct object of a verb) · my ကျွန်တော် (direct object of a verb) · gv mish (direct object of a verb) · fi minä (subject of a verb with “and”) · de ich (subject of a verb without “and”) · jje 나신디 (indirect object of a verb) · sk mne (object of a preposition) · kw my (complement of the copula) · io men (direct object of a verb) · dsb mě (direct object of a verb) · ga mé (direct object of a verb) · el μου (indirect object of a verb) · hi मुझे (direct object of a verb) · hak 𠊎 (direct object of a verb) · fr moi (indirect object of a verb) · da mig (direct object of a verb) · om ani (direct object of a verb) · ru мне (object of a preposition) · ro mine (direct object of a verb) · ltg maņ (indirect object of a verb) · cs mě (direct object of a verb) · fr me (indirect object of a verb) · ko 나를 (direct object of a verb) · kea ami (object of a preposition) · fr moi (subject of a verb with “and”) · sk mňa (object of a preposition) · chk -ei (indirect object of a verb) · la ego (subject of a verb without “and”) · jje 나아피 (indirect object of a verb) · he ־ני (direct object of a verb) · ms aku (-ku) (indirect object of a verb) · fi minut (telic) (direct object of a verb) · zu -mi (object of a preposition) · ar ـنِي (object of a preposition) · el με (object of a preposition) · yo mi (direct object of a verb) · sv mig (indirect object of a verb) · uk мене́ (direct object of a verb) · io me (direct object of a verb) · da mig (reflexive indirect object of a verb) · dlm main (direct object of a verb) · oc me (direct object of a verb) · ga mise (complement of the copula) · sv mig (object of a preposition) · gd mise (reflexive indirect object of a verb) · ar ـِيَ (object of a preposition) · cs mnou (object of a preposition) · zza mı (diq) (direct object of a verb) · mk ме (direct object of a verb) · nl mijn (object of a preposition) · fur mi (direct object of a verb) · ljp ñaʔ (direct object of a verb) · br me (direct object of a verb) · no jeg (subject of a verb without “and”) · ca me (direct object of a verb) · el με (direct object of a verb) · ar ـنِي (direct object of a verb) · ru мне (indirect object of a verb) · no jeg (complement of the copula)
A spelling representing the pronunciation (/miː/), which is the older pronunciation (see Middle English mi (“my”); Middle English me (“me”) was pronounced /meː/, similar to modern May); the Great Vowel Shift in the Middle Ages changed /iː/ to /aɪ/, but some dialects retained or reinnovated /iː/ in this word.
Meanings
(Australia, Ireland, New-Zealand, UK, alt-of, alternative, colloquial, regional) Alternative form of my.
"What have I ever done to prove me worth, or where I could at least say as I'd made a difference?" 2016, Alan Moore, Jerusalem, Liveright, page 99:
Get off me cheese! Get off! Get off! 1995, Nick Park, A Close Shave:
I want me money back! 1994, John Hodge, Shallow Grave, spoken by Alex Law (Ewan McGregor):
There don't seem much to say just now. / (Yer what? Then don't, yer ruddy cow! / And give us back me cigarette!) a. 1918, Wilfred Owen, “The Letter”, in Douglas Kerr, editor, The Works of Wilfred Owen, page 54:
From mi (“third note of a major scale”) + -e (“flat”), from Glover's solmization, Italian mi in the solmization of Guido of Arezzo, from the first syllable of Latin mīra in the lyrics of the scale-ascending hymn Ut queant laxis by Paulus Deacon.
Meanings
The solfeggio syllable used to indicate the flat of the third note of a major scale.