we's

Pronoun

we (first-person plural personal pronoun nominative case, objective case us, possessive determiner our, possessive pronoun ours, reflexive ourselves, reflexive singular ourself)

1. (first-person, nominative, personal, plural, pronoun) Excluding the person(s) being addressed. (This is the exclusive we.)
   • We are here to arrest you.
2. (first-person, nominative, personal, plural, pronoun) Including the person(s) being addressed. (This is the inclusive we.)
   • We need to have a talk, you and me.
3. (first-person, nominative, personal, plural, pronoun) 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.
4. (first-person, nominative, personal, plural, pronoun) 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.
5. (first-person, nominative, personal, plural, pronoun) People in general.
   • We live and learn.
6. (first-person, nominative, personal, plural, pronoun, 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.

See all 16 meanings of we