we
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: Appendix:Variations of "we"
Languages (52)
English
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Page categories
Abinomn • Anguthimri • Caac • Cameroon Pidgin • Chuukese • Dadibi • Dutch • Fijian • Fwâi • Galoli • Haeke • Haveke • Hmwaveke • Ido • Indonesian • Jamaican Creole • Japanese • Jawe • Kashubian • Kikuyu • Laboya • Lower Sorbian • Mandarin • Mapudungun • Middle English • Middle Low German • Nedebang • Nemi • North Ambrym • North Frisian • Nyelâyu • Old English • Old Javanese • Old Polish • Pije • Polish • Scots • Silesian • Slovincian • Spanish • Tocharian A • Tok Pisin • Turkmen • Uyghur • Vamale • Welsh • West Makian • Yola • Yuanga • Zaghawa • Zulu
Page categories
English
Etymology 1
From Middle English we, from Old English wē (“we”), from Proto-West Germanic *wiʀ, from Proto-Germanic *wīz, *wiz (“we”), from Proto-Indo-European *wéy (“we (plural)”). Cognate with Scots wee, we (“we”), North Frisian we (“we”), West Frisian wy (“we”), Low German wi (“we”), Dutch we, wij (“we”), German wir (“we”), Danish, Swedish and Norwegian vi (“we”), Icelandic vér, við (“we”), Avestan 𐬬𐬀𐬉𐬨 (vaēm), Sanskrit वयम् (vayám).
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation, Canada) enPR: wē, IPA(key): /wiː/
Audio (UK): (file) Audio: (file) - (General American) IPA(key): /wi/
Audio (US): (file) - Homophones: oui, wee, Wii (wine–whine merger); whee
- Rhymes: -iː
Pronoun
we (first-person plural personal pronoun nominative case, objective case us, possessive determiner our, possessive pronoun ours, reflexive ourselves, reflexive singular ourself)
- Two or more people including or consisting of the speaker(s)/writer(s).
- The institution which the speaker/writer is acting for. (This is the editorial we, used by writers and others when speaking with the authority of their publication or organisation.)
- We will in due course state our reasons for publishing the name of the accused.
- As the government, we have a duty to ensure public safety.
- 2021, Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau, “Paper No. CMAB C4/9/1”, in Documents of the Hong Kong Legislative Council, page 1:
- In light of the promulgation of the aforementioned laws and decisions, we (the administration) propose to make the following amendments to local legislation to implement the relevant requirements on oath taking by public officers.
- Any other entity that the speaker is a part of or identifies with, such as place of employment or education, nation, region, language, etc.
- I went to watch our school football match against Puddletown High. We lost 2-0.
- In English, we do not inflect adjectives for gender.
- People in general.
- We live and learn.
- We still have much to learn about quantum mechanics.
- 2013 July-August, Stephen P. Lownie, David M. Pelz, “Stents to Prevent Stroke”, in American Scientist:
- As we age, the major arteries of our bodies frequently become thickened with plaque, a fatty material with an oatmeal-like consistency that builds up along the inner lining of blood vessels.
- (royal) The sovereign alone in his or her capacity as monarch. (This is the royal we. The reflexive case of this sense of we is ourself.)
- We are Queen of all these Isles.
- (colloquial) Everyone being addressed.
- Good evening everyone. How are we all tonight?
- (colloquial; may sometimes seem patronising) An individual being addressed; used especially to a person in the speaker's care, or to whom advice or instruction is being given. (Sometimes called the nurse's we or the doctor's we.)
- Hello Mrs Miggins. How are we feeling this morning?
- You've been spending all your money boozing when you have a wife and family to support. I think we need to get our priorities straight.
- 1836, “Boz” [pseudonym; Charles Dickens], “The Boarding-House”, in Sketches by “Boz,” Illustrative of Every-day Life, and Every-day People. […], volume I, London: John Macrone, […], →OCLC, chapter II, page 204:
- “Well, my dear ma’am, and how are we?” inquired Wosky in a soothing tone. / “Very ill, doctor—very ill,” said Mrs. Bloss in a whisper.
- 2008 May 13, Tom Armstrong, Marvin (comic):
- Are we ready to go to bed, sweetie?
- (colloquial, uncommon) Used to refer to a third person, especially someone in the speaker's care.
- "I've just been to see Mrs Miggins." — "And how is she?" — "I'm afraid we aren't too good today."
- Used to connect to or include readers or listeners.
- (colloquial) Used to imply connection between the speaker's experiences or activities and a group of listeners. (Compare the plural of modesty.)
- Hey guys, in this video I'll show you how I make my upside-down sponge cake. First we take 200 g of butter and we whisk in 200 g of sugar. Next, we ...
- 2021 January 6, 3:38:03 from the start, in Rally on Electoral College Vote Certification (television broadcast), spoken by Donald Trump, Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN):
- All Vice President [Mike] Pence has to do is send it back to the states to recertify and we become president and you are the happiest people.
- 2021 June 24, “Far from Home” (3:07 from the start), in Alone, season 9, episode 4 (televison production), spoken by Theresa Emmerich Kamper, via HISTORY Channel:
- [Today is] not a day to think about fishing so we will get back to working on the shelter. [cut in video] Cool, so I guess the best analogy for this, then, is that we've basically framed the house, and now we get to shingle.
- 2022 October 25, 32:11 from the start, Vote 2022, in Joseph Camp, director, PBS NewsHour (television production), spoken by John Fetterman, via Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), archived from the original on 2022-10-25:
- The elephant in the room, you know, we had a stroke back in May.
- Used in explanatory or procedural writing, such as mathematical explanations, to imply inclusion of the reader in the undertaking.
- To solve the equation, we first collect all the terms in x on one side.
- (colloquial) Used to imply connection between the speaker's experiences or activities and a group of listeners. (Compare the plural of modesty.)
- (colloquial) Used when talking to oneself to refer to oneself.
- Now then ... let me see ... I hope I'm doing this right ... if we just connect these two wires together ...
- (West Country, archaic) Us.
- (bridge) The side which is keeping score.
- Antonym: they
Derived terms
- are we there yet
- as we know it
- as we speak
- author's we
- can we say
- even as we speak
- here we are
- here we go
- here we go again
- Houston, we have a problem
- imperial we
- lest we forget
- let's not and say we did
- shall we say
- the devil we know is better than the devil we don't
- the devil we know is better than the devil we don't know
- the poor we will always have with us
- the real treasure is the friends we made along the way
- there we go
- this is where we came in
- this is why we can't have nice things
- today we are all
- until we meet again
- we all bleed red
- we all make mistakes
- we aye
- we come in peace
- we got company
- we-group
- we have always been at war with Eastasia
- we have company
- we haven't got all day
- we live in a society
- we-uns
- we wuz kangz
- what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive
- what tangled webs we weave when first we practice to deceive
- where are we
- where are we going
Descendants
Translations
generic we (the speaker and at least one other person, regardless of whether it's the person being addressed)
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exclusive we (the speaker and at least one other person, but excluding the person(s) being addressed)
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inclusive we (the speaker and the person(s) being addressed, and possibly others)
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items to check for clusivity
the royal we (referring to the sovereign alone acting in their capacity as monarch)
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Determiner
we
- Designates the speaker(s)/writer(s) as belonging to or constituting the stated category of people.
- We Canadians like to think of ourselves as different.
- We the undersigned wish to express our disapproval.
Etymology 2
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /wə/
Audio (Southern England): (file)
Pronoun
we
- (Geordie) Us.
- He was a propa gadgie, and always bought we drinks after a long shift.
- He was a great guy, and always bought us drinks after a long shift.
- And what have you done for we since? Nowt!
- And what have you done for us since? Nothing!
Usage notes
Not to be confused with Tyneside us (“me”).
Anagrams
Abinomn
Noun
we (dual werom, plural wekon)
References
- Newguineaworld, citing Donohue and Musgrave, Abinomn nominal number (2007: 365)
Anguthimri
Noun
we
- (Mpakwithi) owl
References
- Terry Crowley, The Mpakwithi dialect of Anguthimri (1981), page 189
Caac
Pronunciation
Noun
we
- water
- kô-ny we
- 'my (glass/drink of) water'
- kô-ny we
References
Cameroon Pidgin
Alternative forms
Etymology
Pronunciation
Pronoun
we
See also
| singular | plural | ||
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