What does the word their means

How is it that we all learn common words in the early days of school, yet there are plenty of people who misuse or misspell them as adults? It’s an interesting phenomenon. Even more interesting is that words that are common can still have their meanings change. Hopefully, this guide will provide clarity and refresh your knowledge of the meaning of the word their.

What Does Their Mean?

In the dictionary, the word their means the possessive form of they or them. For example, if an object belongs to a collective group, then it is their object. Typically, it is associated with people or things that were previously mentioned or are easy to identify in the context. If the speaker had been talking about the choir and then the speaker describes their singing, you would infer that the speaker meant the choir’s singing. 

For example:

• We saw the team on their way to the locker room.

The word their can denote that the identity of the owner is unknown. For example, if you said, “The robber left their fingerprints on the mantle,” the term their is used to show possession when the sex of a person is unspecified or unknown.

For example:

• Anyone in their right mind would have done the same thing.

Alternatively, the word their can be the possession of they or them as a singular person that is not gender-specific. If a person’s sexual identity or gender is not defined as the traditional binary forms of male or female, then possession will be shown for that person with their. It is a third-person singular antecedent that is similar to words like his, hers, or its. This can be useful when gender neutrality is preferred. 

For example:

• It is their right to choose for themselves.

Many people believe that the singular use of the possessive adjective their is a modern development. However, as it relates to the word they, the singular use of the noun dates back to the 14th century. This can be examined further when you look at the origin of the word.

What Is the Origin of the Word Their?

The history or origin of a word is also called its etymology. Learning more about where a word comes from helps us understand its meaning further. For the word their, etymology tells us that the word is from Middle English. The Middle English time is a period of about 300 years from around 1150 CE to about 1450. It is the transitional period between Old English and Modern English. 

It was used in Middle English in the same way it is used today to show possession for they or them. The word their replaced the Old English word heora. It was a genitive word, or possessive word, for hīe. It would have meant “of them.” 

According to the American Heritage Dictionary, their also has Indo-European roots to the word in Old English thāra, Old Norse theira, and Old Norse theirra. It also relates to the word þeirra which was a genitive plural of the demonstrative sá. Both of these words have roots in Old Swedish, Faroese, and Icelandic. 

It’s interesting that the word has evolved into the word we use today. The pronunciation has changed, but the meaning has remained the same over time.

How Do We Use the Word Their?

Homophones are words that have the same pronunciation but each has different meanings. Their is a homophone for they’re and there. For this reason, the word their is often misused in place of the words they’re and there. 

It is one of the biggest problems on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit. This misuse promotes a misunderstanding of the proper definition of these homophones. Here are the correct definitions of they’re, there, and their:

• They’re is a contraction that means “They are”.
• There is a place or position.
• Their is the possessive form of they or them in the singular or plural.

Here are some examples of they’re:

• They’re going to be late to dinner. 
• If they’re coming too, they should just ride with us.

An easy way to know if you’ve used this word correctly is if you could replace it with the words “they are”. 

Here are some examples of there:

• Put it over there.
• There is no reason to do that.

Here are some examples of their:

• Americans have their own way of doing things compared to people in the UK.
• They can choose their own clothes for this trip.

No matter how you use their, singular or plural, it should show ownership. 

Gender-Neutral Pronouns and “Their”

Nonbinary individuals often prefer the pronouns that relate to the singular usage of they. Out of respect for their gender identity and preferences, when these individuals request the use of they, them, and their, it is expected that others comply.

Gender-neutral pronouns are the best inclusive pronouns to use when you are writing about other people. Whether you are using singular pronouns or plural pronouns, they, them, and their are the best options when you are writing, especially when gender is unknown. 

You may not always be able to tell if a their is being used as a plural noun or singular noun, but it is better to be respectful and neutral in this case.

What Are Synonyms for the Word Their?

Synonyms are related words that offer a similar meaning to a word. As a possessive pronoun, the best synonyms for the word their are also possessive pronouns such as:

• Her
• His
• My
• Its
• Your
• Theirs
• One’s
• Our

What Are Antonyms for the Word Their?

Antonyms are words that offer an opposite meaning to a word. As a possessive pronoun to represent a non-gendered person or a collective group, the best antonyms for their are also some of the best synonyms. This is a unique situation. 

Whether a word is a good antonym or synonym for their will depend on whether the emphasis lies in the possession or the gender neutrality. Her are antonyms for their:

• Her
• His
• Its
• My
• Your
• Our

Examples of Using Their in a Sentence

Example sentences are some of the best ways to understand the use of a word in context. Often we know what a word means, but we can still be unclear on how to include it in conversation. 

Based on common mistakes seen in social media, the word their is still confounding to some people. Here are a few examples of how to use their correctly in a sentence. 

• We’ll see their act tomorrow. 
• You should plan to go in September when their leaves change color.
• It was not their finest hour.
• You should be proud of their accomplishments.
• I wish we had their seats instead of ours.

The Last Word

Broadening our understanding of words we already use commonly in our everyday communications gives us a deeper perspective and increases our ability to use them correctly. 

When the meaning of words seemingly evolves in our lives, it’s also a good idea to freshen up our grasp on the accepted definitions of the word. This helps us, our speech, and our writing stay relevant in our current culture. We will not only appear knowledgeable, but we’ll be more knowledgeable about how to use certain words. 

Sources:

1. Their Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com 
2. Their definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary 
3. American Heritage Dictionary Entry: their | AH Dictionary

There, they’re, and their: they sound the same but have different meanings and keeping them straight can be very tricky.

We’ll start with there. It has the word here in it, which can help remind us that this particular word is often about location:

There it is.

Put it there.

Stay there.

We’ll be there soon.

It’s about location in the more abstract sense too:

There you go.

There is where we disagree.

Friends who are always there for you.

It’s also the one to use as the first word in sentences that have the subject after the verb:

There goes the bus.

And it’s the one used with is and are at the beginning of sentences and questions:

There are plenty available.

Is there a hotel in the town?

The other two are trickier because they both have the idea of the plural in them. Both are connected to the idea of «them.»

They’re means «they are»:

They’re (=they are) funny people.

They’re (=they are) the cutest puppies ever.

It can be used of non-living things too:

They’re (=they are) both really good books.

They’re (=they are) two of our biggest problems.

The last of this trio, their, is the possessive form of they, so it has to do with what belongs to, relates to, or is made or done by certain people, animals, or things:

It’s their house.

We’re their neighbors.

The trees are losing their leaves.

And there you go. They’re not an easy group of words, but with practice we know you can master their distinctions.

Their, there and they’re – these three homophones can perplex writers of any level. They all have a similar pronunciation which often leads people to use the incorrect word even though each of these words has a different meaning and spelling. 

In this post, we will explain the differences and meanings of all three words and also use them in sentences.

What Does “Their” Mean?

The word their is the 3rd person plural possessive pronoun, which means “belonging to them.” It is the pronoun of the subject “they.” It’s used to describe possession of a thing by two or more people.

While their is most often used as a plural, in some scenarios, it can be used as a singular. For example, if the gender or identity of the owner is unknown.

Examples of their in sentences

• The white one is their house.
• She put the puppies gently, one by one, into their warm shed.
• Will anyone let me borrow their pen?
• Someone has wasted their food.
• Nobody gave me their laptop for even one day.

What Does “There” Mean?

The word there has a wide range of uses. As an adverb, there means 

“in or at that place or that position.” You can remember there (adverb) for the opposite of the word, here. 

Examples

• She asked me to go there and check if her car is parked perfectly.
• Sit down in the black chair over there.
• My books are right over there.
• I love Florida. I go there almost every year.

The word there is also used as a pronoun to introduce a clause.

Examples

• There is something wrong at the bottom.
• There is still hope that we will win this match.
• There is a mouse under her chair.
• Is there any hope we can still go there?
• It is raining now, but there will be sunshine in two hours. 

Besides this, the word there also has some special role in a formal speech. Sometimes, it is also used as an interjection to exclaim or emphasize something.

 Examples

• There, I told you my mentor wouldn’t mind!

What Does “They’re” Mean?

They’re is the contraction of the phrase “they are.” The alphabet “a” from the word “are” is replaced with an apostrophe.

Examples of they’re in sentences

• They’re going to Las Vegas with friends.
• They’re getting here around eight o’clock.
• They’re learning the differences between the three homophones!
• I think they’re happy with the results.

How to Remember The Differences Between Their, There and They’re

There are plenty of ways you can remember the differences between these three homophones. However, you can use the following easy way. You simply need to take a hint from spellings.

• The word their has “heir” in its spelling, which can remind you that it is about ownership.
• Similarly, the word there has “here” inside it. It will remind you that it is a place.

• The word they’re has an apostrophe that will tell you that the word itself is two words joined by an apostrophe. 

So these are the differences between Their, there and they’re. We hope this post eliminates all your confusion about these three homophones now.

Their means “belongs to them.” They’re is a contraction of “they are” or “they were.”

How do you use the word your?

Your is the second person possessive adjective, used to describe something as belonging to you. Your is always followed by a noun or gerund. You’re is the contraction of “you are” and is often followed by the present participle (verb form ending in -ing).

What are the 3 different yours?

Your, You’re

• your – possessive, the thing belonging to you. See how it ends in “our”? Use that as a reminder. When it belongs to us, it’s our thing. When it belongs to you, it’s your thing.
• you’re – a contraction of the words “you are”. The apostrophe is your signal that the word can be split into two words.

Which is correct their?

Their is the possessive pronoun, as in “their car is red”; there is used as an adjective, “he is always there for me,” a noun, “get away from there,” and, chiefly, an adverb, “stop right there”; they’re is a contraction of “they are,” as in “they’re getting married.”

How can I check my grammar online?

Grammarly’s online grammar checker scans your text for all types of mistakes, from typos to sentence structure problems and beyond.

1. Eliminate grammar errors.
2. Fix tricky spelling errors.
3. Say goodbye to punctuation errors.
4. Enhance your writing.

What are sentences 10 examples?

50 examples of simple sentences

• She doesn’t study German on Monday.
• Does she live in Paris?
• He doesn’t teach math.
• Cats hate water.
• Every child likes an ice cream.
• 6.My brother takes out the trash.
• The course starts next Sunday.
• She swims every morning.

How can I write correct English?

Blog

1. Commit To Learning. Don’t keep putting your learning off until later.
2. Read More. And by reading, we mean books, newspapers, magazine articles, and other long-form, well-written pieces.
3. Write As Much As Possible.
4. Have Your Work Corrected.
5. Understand The Reason For Corrections.

Is give me it correct grammar?

‘Give me it’ is grammatical. It is rather blunt and would only be used casually, but it breaks no rules and is in common use.

Why is me and my friend wrong?

For the subject, either “My friends and I” or “I and my friends” is grammatical. The former is preferred because it’s also more polite, placing others first. Your subtext is quite correct: “me” means the object, “I” is the subject.

How do you write IM?

In terms of appropriateness, “I am” is the most formal and is almost always safe to use. In descending order of formality: I am – In business writing especially to someone from another company and other situations where a formal tone is appropriate, use: “I am”

Is it give me it or give it to me?

The “Give me it!” form seems to be more common in British English, while the “Give it to me” form is more common in American English among mature speakers, while younger speakers may tend towards the shortened version.

Can you give it to me meaning?

give it to someone (straight) to tell something to someone clearly and directly. Come on, give it to me straight. I want to know exactly what happened.

Do you say I am or IM?

There’s no difference between them. I’m is a contraction of I am. I am is used in formal writings. I am is used in short answers.

How do you use IM and I?

There is no such word as “Im”. The abbreviation for “I am” is “I’m”. The apostrophe indicates that something has been omitted….Preceded by “so” or “such”:

1. “He’s a sailor, and so am I.”
2. “So curiously am I constructed that this might be expected of me.”
3. “In such a fashion am I floating down the river.”

What type of word is IM?

A contraction is a shortened version of the spoken and written forms of a word, syllable, or word group, created by omission of internal letters and sounds….English.

Full form	Contracted	Notes
I am	I’m	informal, as in “I’m here.”

What is correct I’m or I m?

The first-person singular pronoun “I” is always capitalized in English, even in the middle of a sentence, so its contraction (“I’m”) is also capitalized; “I’m” is short for “I am.” There is never a correct use of “i’m.”

What is another word for IM?

What is another word for IM?

message	text
chat	notify
DM	tweet
communicate with	text message
MMS	write

What is full form of IM?

The Full form of IM is Intramuscular Injection. IM is a technique used to deliver a medication deep into the muscles. This allows the medication to be absorbed into the bloodstream quickly.

Can I IM means?

verb – transitive to contact a person via an Internet-based “Instant Messaging” service, such as MSN Instant Messenger or AOL Instant Messenger. If Mike comes online, tell him to IM me. See more words with the same meaning: Internet, texting, SMS, email, chat acronyms (list of).

What Im means?

instant message

What is an IM account?

Instant messaging (IM) technology is a type of online chat that offers real-time text transmission over the Internet. A LAN messenger operates in a similar way over a local area network.

How do I IM someone?

Send an IM to several people at once If the people you want to send the IM to appear in the list as contacts who aren’t adjacent, press and hold the Ctrl key while you click them. Then, click the IM icon, type your message at bottom of the conversation window, and press Enter.

What are the two types of IM services?

Different Types of Instant Messaging

• Email Messengers. This is one of the most popular instant messaging services that are available today.
• Social Media Messenger.
• Instant Video Messaging App.
• Freeware and Cross-Platform Instant Messaging for Smartphone.

What is called an instant message?

Instant messaging (IM), form of text-based communication in which two persons participate in a single conversation over their computers or mobile devices within an Internet-based chatroom.

How do I get instant message?

Android

1. When you find the person you’re looking for, tap their name, and then tap the IM icon to send an instant message.
2. Type a message, and then tap Send.

What do you mean by chatting?

On the Internet, chatting is talking to other people who are using the Internet at the same time you are. Usually, this “talking” is the exchange of typed-in messages requiring one site as the repository for the messages (or “chat site”) and a group of users who take part from anywhere on the Internet.

What are the basic needs to use instant messaging?

The basic needs to use IM (chat) software are (a) an active Internet connection (it through/over the Internet that instant messaging is possible), (b) chat software to be downloaded (the chat software could be Watsapp, Skype, We chat, Viber, Telegram, FB messenger, Meebo, etc), and an account to be opened (in the name …

• Arabic: لَهُم‎ (lahum), ـهُمْ‎ (ar) m (-hum), ـهُنَّ‎ (ar) f (-hunna), ـهُمَا‎ du (-humā)

  Egyptian Arabic: ـهم‎ (-hum)

• Armenian: նրանց (nrancʿ), իրենց (hy) (irencʿ)

  Old Armenian: նոցա (nocʿa)

• Aromanian: (a) lor m or f
• Asturian: so (ast), sos (ast) pl
• Azerbaijani: onların
• Belarusian: іх (ix), і́хні (íxni), і́хны (íxny)
• Bulgarian: те́хен (téhen), им (bg) (im)
• Catalan: llur (ca)
• Cebuano: ila (preposed), nila (postposed)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: (formal, written) 他們的／他们的 (ta¹ mun⁴ dik¹), (vernacular) 佢哋嘅 (keoi⁵ dei⁶ ge³)

  Mandarin: 他們的／他们的 (zh) (tāmen de), 她們的／她们的 (zh) (tāmen de) (of females)

  Min Nan: 𪜶 (zh-min-nan) (in)

• Coptic: ⲡⲟⲩ m (pou), ⲧⲟⲩ f (tou), ⲛⲟⲩ m pl or f pl (nou)
• Czech: jejich (cs)
• Danish: deres (da), sin (da)
• Dutch: hun (nl)
• Egyptian: (Old and Middle Egyptian) (.sn), (Late Egyptian) (.w)
• Esperanto: ilia (eo), iliaj (eo) pl
• Faroese: teirra, hjá teimum, sín, hjá sær
• Finnish: (if owners are people) heidän (fi); (if owners are not people) niiden (fi), niitten (fi)
• French: leur (fr) sg, leurs (fr) pl
• Friulian: lôr
• Galician: seu (gl) m, súa f, seus m pl, súas f pl
• Georgian: მათი (mati), იმათი (imati), თავიანთი (tavianti)
• German: ihr (de), ihre (de)
• Gothic: 𐍃𐌴𐌹𐌽𐍃 (seins)
• Greek:

  Ancient: αὐτῶν (autôn) (gen. of personal pronoun), τούτων (toútōn) (gen. of medial demonstrative), ἐκείνων (ekeínōn) (gen. of distal demonstrative), τῶνδε (tônde) (gen. of proximal demonstrative), σφῶν (sphôn) (gen. of personal pronoun), σφέτερος (sphéteros) (adjective)

• Hawaiian: (dual) ko lāua, kā lāua, (plural) ko lākou, kā lākou
• Hebrew: שלהם‎ pl (shelahém)
• Hindi: उनका (hi) (unkā)
• Hungarian: -uk, -ük, -juk, -jük
• Icelandic: þeirra (is), sinn (is) m, sín (is) f, sitt (is) n
• Ido: lia (io)
• Interlingua: lor
• Irish: a (ga)
• Istriot: luri
• Italian: ^{(please verify)} il loro m sg, ^{(please verify)} la loro f sg, ^{(please verify)} i loro m pl, ^{(please verify)} le loro f pl, ^{(please verify)} loro (it)
• Japanese: 彼らの (ja) (かれらの, karera no)
• Kapampangan: karela, ila
• Khmer: របស់គេ (rɔbɑh kei)
• Korean: 그들의 (geudeurui)
• Kyrgyz: алардын (ky) (alardın)
• Latin: suus (la), illorum m or n, illarum f, eorum (la) m or n, earum (la) f, horum (la) m or n, harum (la) f
• Latvian: viņu (lv)
• Louisiana Creole French: yê
• Macedonian: нивен (niven)
• Maltese: tagħhom
• Maori: tā rāua (singular dominant referring to two people), tō rāua (singular subordinate referring to two people), ā rāua (plural dominant referring to two people), ō rāua (plural subordinate referring to two people), tā rātau (singular dominant referring to three or more people), tō rātau (singular subordinate referring to three or more people), ā rātau (plural dominant referring to three or more people), ō rātau (plural subordinate referring to three or more people)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: deres (no), sin (no) dems (nonstandard)

  Nynorsk: deira (nn), sin

• Occitan: lor (oc)
• Persian: ـشان‎ (fa) (-e-šân)
• Pipil: in-
• Polish: ich (pl)
• Portuguese: seu (pt), seus (pt)
• Romani: lenqo m, lenqi f, lenqe pl
• Romanian: lor (ro) m or f, săi m, sale (ro) f
• Romansch: lur
• Russian: их (ru) (ix)
• Scots: thair
• Scottish Gaelic: aca, an, am
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: њихов

  Roman: njihov

• Sinhalese: ඔවුන්ගේ (owungē)
• Slovak: ich (sk), svoj
• Slovene: njíhov (sl)
• Sorbian:

  Lower Sorbian: jeju (referring to two people or things), jich (referring to three or more people or things)

• Spanish: su (es) sg, sus (es) pl
• Swedish: deras (sv), sin (sv) (c, singular), sitt (sv) (n, singular), sina (sv) pl
• Tagalog: kanila (preposed), nila (postposed)
• Thai: ของเขา (kŏng kăo)
• Tlingit: has du
• Turkish: onların (tr)
• Ukrainian: їх (jix), ї́хній (jíxnij)
• Urdu: ان کا‎ (un kā)
• Venetian: so (vec), suo (vec)
• Vietnamese: của họ
• Volapük: (masculine) omsik (vo), (feminine) ofsik, (neuter or of mixed or unspecified gender) onsik (vo)
• Walloon: leu (wa) c, leus (wa) c pl
• Welsh: eu
• West Frisian: har, harren
• Yiddish: זייער‎ (zeyer)
• Yoruba: wọn
• Zulu: possessive concord + -bo class 2 (usually for people), -yo class 4, -wo class 6, -zo class 8, -zo class 10

их, свой, свое, свои

местоимение

- их; принадлежащий им; свой
- свой, свои
- полагающийся им

Словосочетания

Примеры с переводом

Возможные однокоренные слова

determiner

COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES

ask sb (for) their opinion (also ask for sb’s opinion)

▪ We asked people for their opinions about the Olympics.

▪ Nobody asked my opinion.

▪ It’s a good idea to ask people for their opinions and suggestions.

bring sth/sb to their knees (=make it almost impossible for sb/sth to continue)

▪ A severe drought brought the country to its knees.

call sb by their first/full etc name (=use that name when you speak to them)

▪ Everyone called him by his first name.

chomp their way through

▪ British people chomp their way through more than a billion bars of chocolate every year.

cost lives/cost sb their life (=result in deaths/in someone’s death)

▪ That decision may have cost him his life.

deprive sb of their liberty (=take liberty away from someone)

▪ a prisoner who has been deprived of his liberty

drive sb up the wall/round the bend/out of their mindspoken informal (= make someone feel very annoyed)

▪ That voice of hers drives me up the wall.

everyone is entitled to their opinion (=used especially when politely disagreeing with what someone says)

▪ Of course everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I can’t accept what he is saying.

give sb their deposit back

▪ When I left, the landlord refused to give me my deposit back.

give sb their money back (also refund sb’s money) (= give money back to a customer)

▪ We regret that we are unable to refund money on tickets.

give sth to sb for their birthday

▪ I never know what to give him for his birthday.

going about their business

▪ The villagers were going about their business as usual.

help sb with their homework

▪ I often have to help her with her homework.

hold sb to their promise (=make them keep it)

▪ The next day, Gareth held me to my promise to take him fishing.

in their eagerness

▪ People were pushing each other out of the way in their eagerness to get to the front.

in their hundreds/thousands etc (=in very large numbers)

▪ People flocked in their thousands to greet their new princess.

keep/put sb on their mettle

▪ This was just his way of keeping me on my mettle.

leave/abandon sb to their fate (=leave someone in a bad situation)

▪ The abandoned sailors were left to their fate on the island.

my/your/their etc generation

▪ I consider myself a typical Japanese woman of my generation.

of its/their kind

▪ It is the biggest centre of its kind.

sb’s heart rules their head (=someone makes decisions based on emotions rather than careful thought)

▪ He has never been one to let his heart rule his head.

show sb to their seat

▪ A flight attendant showed them to their seats.

take up an offer/take sb up on their offerBritish English (= accept someone’s offer)

▪ I might take him up on his offer.

take up sb’s invitation/take sb up on their invitation (=accept someone’s invitation)

▪ I decided to take them up on their invitation to dinner.

wing its/their way to/across etc sth

▪ planes winging their way to exotic destinations

PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES

beard sb (in their den)

▪ He is soft-spoken, bearded, with a friendly smile and an ability to laugh at himself.

▪ He was an awe-inspiring sight, his beard jutting out fiercely and his brow knotted in anger.

▪ It was an older man, with a beard.

▪ Often he would shave it off, but the next day he would have a beard just the same.

▪ Protest music made by men with beards for people with fuzzy minds and books in the glove compartments of their Morris Travellers.

▪ Some of their fathers wore beards.

▪ The provodnik, my jailer, showed a young bearded man into my compartment.

▪ With his grizzled beard and his peg-leg he looked like an extra from Treasure Island.

beat sb at their own game

beat/thrash etc sb to within an inch of their life

bring sb/sth to their knees

▪ The recession has brought many companies to their knees.

▪ He yelled for union solidarity to support the strike and to bring management to their knees, but to no avail.

catch sb with their pants/trousers down

cost sb their job/life/marriage etc

▪ And, for those who work in the travel and tourism industry, this tax could cost them their jobs.

▪ His plans to slash defence budgets by £6 billion would cost 100,000 more their jobs.

▪ I believe that it would cost many people their jobs and would cause far more damage than good.

▪ It could cost them their lives.

▪ The most far-reaching internal investigation in Phoenix police history cost four officers their jobs Friday for purchasing banned rifles under false pretenses.

do your/his/her/their worst

▪ Let her do her worst to reach him.

▪ Sometimes they successfully slowed or blocked the path of the conquistadores when these exploiters were out to do their worst.

each to his/their own

▪ Fathers should customize each to their own particular needs and situation.

▪ It is a case of each to his own cell with no slopping out.

everyone has their price

frighten/scare/terrify sb out of their wits

give sb a (good) run for their money

▪ Slosser gave Boyd a run for his money in the 1996 GOP primary.

give sb a dose/taste of their own medicine

give sb their head

give sb their walking papers

have sth at your/their etc fingertips

in its/their entirety

▪ The speech will published in its entirety in tomorrow’s paper.

▪ He withdrew it when it was agreed to omit the paragraph in its entirety.

▪ It is even possible that this residue could be used in its entirety to make heat shields.

▪ Of the sections I read in their entirety the coverage is somewhat variable.

▪ On 30 November the Decree on Missionary Activity was voted through chapter by chapter, and then approved in its entirety.

▪ Only by offering the play in its entirety, blemishes and all, does its content makes sense.

▪ Or survive the pain of remembering the past in its entirety?

▪ Such models of sites and structures have the advantage of giving a three-dimensional view and show the site in its entirety.

▪ The completed cycle was screened in its entirety for the first time at the Venice Festival this autumn.

in our/their midst

▪ Another athlete with those same qualities now toils in our midst.

▪ As we rushed to prepare to open the Sale there appeared in our midst an unknown young man.

▪ But when the others sat for the Scripture readings, Ray McGovern remained upright in their midst, provoking wariness and speculation.

▪ Downstairs, when Jessica had stormed out, her parents had found themselves remarkably constrained by the stranger in their midst.

▪ He was the weevil in the fruit, according to Rex, the canker in their midst.

▪ People living in Surrey Street say they are tired of an unhealthy eyesore in their midst.

▪ The entrepreneurial spirit is alive and working in our midst.

▪ They insisted that the explosive events occurring in their midst were the work of the Holy Spirit.

keep sb on their toes

▪ With a test every Friday, she keeps her students on their toes.

▪ And, keeping them on their toes … the doctors who walk eighteen miles a day.

▪ He keeps them on their toes.

▪ Inflation, which depletes the value of stocks and bonds, also keeps investors on their toes.

▪ Meetings are held every nineteen days, not necessarily Sundays, which must keep people on their toes.

▪ The general use of disapproval in order to keep people on their toes tends to be counterproductive after a time.

▪ Together, these threats are supposed to discipline managers and keep them on their toes.

▪ We have improved because a few extra players have come in and the bench is outstanding which keeps everyone on their toes.

▪ You have to have good people doing these jobs, and you have to keep folks on their toes.

knock sb off their pedestal/perch

knock/lift etc sb off their feet

no one in their right mind …

our/their eyes meet

▪ Their eyes met across the crowded room.

▪ As the woman searched for a seat, their eyes met and held.

▪ As their eyes met, Quinn suddenly felt that Stillman had become invisible.

▪ But when our eyes meet, the invisible daggers fly.

▪ In between times he looked out the window or stared at me, smiling when our eyes met.

▪ The family could hear her swift heavy steps, up there, and did not let their eyes meet.

▪ Then their eyes met and it was not about money.

▪ When their eyes meet she envisions the fulfillment of her dream of marrying a man with aristocratic connections not from Middlemarch.

our/your/their differences

▪ By looking to the Bible and seeking spiritual guidance, he is taking steps to reconcile our differences.

▪ Despite our differences, I had no need or desire to slam the new administration.

▪ If our needs conflict I am certainly ready to explore our differences and I may be prepared to compromise.

▪ In recent weeks the two groups had buried their differences to stage joint armed protests across the country.

▪ So do you think that we could put our differences aside for just one evening?

▪ We discussed our differences and agreed to call an armistice.

▪ When you are weighing up which lender to go to for your loan, you ignore their differences at your peril.

put sb in their place

▪ I’d like to put her in her place — she thinks she’s so special.

▪ Battered and beleaguered, Arsenal had been put firmly in their place.

▪ The Administration of Justice Act 1982 swept away the remaining ones without putting anything in their place.

▪ Was Morrissey helped put them in their place.

put sb off their stride

▪ Human experimenters have found it surprisingly difficult to put bats off their stride by playing loud artificial ultrasound at them.

put sb off their stroke

put sb/sth through their paces

put sth/sb out of their misery

relieve sb of their post/duties/command etc

say sth/tell sb sth to their face

sb can do sth in their sleep

sb can do sth standing on their head

sb can’t get it into their (thick) skull

sb has decided to honour us with their presence

sb has learned their lesson

sb has paid their debt to society

▪ After 20 years in jail, Murray feels he has paid his debt to society.

sb has their own life to lead

sb is helping the police with their enquiries

sb is up to their (old) tricks

sb nearly/almost fell off their chair

sb was (just) minding their own business

▪ I was just walking along, minding my own business, when this guy ran straight into me.

sb will be laughing on the other side of their face

sb would give their eye teeth for sth

sb would give their right arm to do sth

▪ These parents would give their right arms to get their kids into a prestigious school.

sb would turn in their grave

sb’s bark is worse than their bite

sb’s eyes popped (out of their head)

sb’s life flashes before their eyes

send sb off with a flea in their ear

sth/sb has their uses

sweep sb off their feet

▪ Donald absolutely swept me off my feet.

▪ She’s just waiting to be swept off her feet by a handsome stranger.

▪ Then Peter came into my life and swept me off my feet.

walk sb off their feet

wing its/their way

▪ His resignation was winging its way to Sheppards yesterday afternoon.

▪ If it slips then, as it probably will, the Hingston fortune will wing its way elsewhere.

▪ Out of a group of trees near by a rook flew, winging its way leisurely across the Park towards him.

▪ Photographs had winged their way across, and presents at Christmas and Easter, with Mammy’s birthday a speciality.

▪ Readers’ original gardening tips Another batch of £50 cash prizes are winging their way to this month’s top tipsters.

▪ Small but dangerously exciting trickles of pleasure were still winging their way through her virtually defenceless body.

▪ Within seventy minutes each plane has been unloaded, reloaded and winging its way to destination cities.