we.
Two or more people including or consisting of the speaker(s)/writer(s).
Meaning & usage
Two or more people including or consisting of the speaker(s)/writer(s). Excluding the person(s) being addressed. (This is the exclusive we.)
We are here to arrest you.
Two or more people including or consisting of the speaker(s)/writer(s). Including the person(s) being addressed. (This is the inclusive we.)
We need to have a talk, you and me.
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.
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.
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.
Everyone being addressed.
Good evening everyone. How are we all tonight?
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.
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. 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 ...
Used to connect to or include readers or listeners. 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.
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 ...
Us.
The side which is keeping score.
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *wéyder. Proto-Germanic *wīz Proto-West Germanic *wiʀ Old English wē Middle English we English we 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).
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.
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *wéyder. Proto-Germanic *wīz Proto-West Germanic *wiʀ Old English wē Middle English we English we 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).
us
He was a propa gadgie, and always bought we drinks after a long shift.
And what have you done for we since? Nowt!
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.