language note: Their is the third person plural possessive determiner.
1. determiner
You use their to indicate that something belongs or relates to the group of people, animals, orthings that you are talking about.
Janis and Kurt have announced their engagement.
Horses were poking their heads over their stall doors.
...as the trees shed their leaves and the year begins to die.
2. determiner
You use their instead of 'his or her' to indicate that something belongs or relates to a person withoutsaying whether that person is a man or a woman.
Every member will receive their own 'Welcome to Labour' brochure.
But anyone looking for income from their investments is in a much worse state.
English Easy Learning GrammarDeterminersDeterminers are words that make the reference of nouns more specific. If I say ‘thiscar’ it is clear that I mean a particular car which is near me. If ... Read more
English Easy Learning GrammarIndefinite pronounsThe indefinite pronouns are used when you do not know or do not need to say preciselywho or what you are referring to. The noun phrase which they substitute ... Read more
English Easy Learning GrammarNoun phrases with several determinersMost noun phrases contain only one determiner or none at all, but if there are more,they follow a definite order. Determiners can be divided into four ... Read more
their in British English
(ðɛə)
determiner
1.
of, belonging to, or associated in some way with them
their finest hour
their own clothes
she tried to combat their mocking her
2.
belonging to or associated in some way with people in general not including the speaker or people addressed
in many countries they wash their clothes in the river
3.
belonging to or associated in some way with an indefinite antecedent such as one, whoever, or anybody
everyone should bring their own lunch
▶ USAGE See note at they
Word origin
C12: from Old Norse theira (genitive plural); see they, them
their in American English
(ðɛr)
possessive pronominal adjective
of, belonging to, made by, or done by them
also used before some formal titles [Their Majesties]: often used in connection with a preceding singular pronoun (as everybody, somebody, everyone)
did everybody finish their lunch?
Word origin
ME theyr < ON theirra, gen. pl. of the demonstrative pron. replacing ME here, OE hira: see they
Examples of 'their' in a sentence
their
People lost their limbs and parts of their bodies.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Name one country in history where bolstering people in their prejudices has turned out for the best.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
They are the experts in medicines and their use and they need to show more leadership.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Most rooms are now full and cannot be used for their original purpose.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
On Friday police escorted him to a safe place after collecting the last of their belongings.
The Sun (2016)
Hopefully the findings of this report will help remind people that their actions on the road do have an impact on other drivers.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Yesterday they were being allowed into the lower floors to see if their belongings could be salvaged.
The Sun (2010)
China invented fireworks but has long prohibited their use because of accidents.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
This was a particular problem for people paying for their own care.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
We have also offered to reimburse any expenses they incurred while they were without their belongings.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
There are lots of stories to explore with the old people and their problems.
The Sun (2012)
It is a privilege and an honour to see how these young people overcome their physical disabilities.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
This is one of only a few clubs in this country where people can have their ambitions fulfilled.
The Sun (2008)
He hopes to raise thousands of pounds for charity and to inspire other young people to find their true calling.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Their main concern is the grandchildren and they hope that people will respect their privacy and remember them in their prayers.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Nor has it forgotten that its first duty is to cart a load of people and their luggage from place to place.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
The egg industry still uses it in their feed as does the American trout industry.
Smith, Drew Food Watch (1994)
Then He tells them to sell all their belongings and give their money to the poor.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Some churches charge rent for the use of their property, while others do not.
Christianity Today (2000)
The soldiers inspected the house, found the hiding place and took all their precious belongings.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
That was under way yesterday as families piled their belongings into cars and pick-up trucks and fled.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
They also lay their eggs in people 's gardens.
The Sun (2016)
And giving older people the opportunity to show how they can use their experience will make all the difference to business in the future.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Some people seem to have just upped and left, leaving their belongings behind for the rats and vandals.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
France used all their replacements.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
They were the ones pushing out the good guys from the game, guys who used their guts and instincts instead of computers.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
The animosity between these clubs is well known and Stoke's ability to use that to their advantage proved crucial.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
In other languages
their
British English: their /ðɛə/ DETERMINER
You use their to say that something belongs to a group of people, animals, or things.
They took off their coats.
American English: their
Arabic: مِلْكُهُم
Brazilian Portuguese: deles
Chinese: 他们的
Croatian: njihov
Czech: jejich
Danish: deres
Dutch: hun
European Spanish: su ellos
Finnish: heidän
French: leur
German: ihr
Greek: δικός τους
Italian: loro
Japanese: 彼らの
Korean: 그들의
Norwegian: deres
Polish: ich
European Portuguese: deles
Romanian: lor
Russian: их
Latin American Spanish: su
Swedish: deras
Thai: ของเขาเหล่านั้น
Turkish: onların
Ukrainian: їхній
Vietnamese: của họ
All related terms of 'their'
for their pains
You say that something was all you got for your pains when you are mentioning the disappointing result of situation into which you put a lot of work or effort .
give sb their head
If you give someone their head , you allow them to do what they want to do, without trying to advise or stop them.
by their own account
If you say that something concerning a particular person is true by his or her own account , you mean that you believe it because that person has said it is true.
finds its/their way
If something finds its way somewhere , it comes to that place, especially by chance .
turn in their grave
If you say that someone who is dead would turn in their grave at something that is happening now , you mean that they would be very shocked or upset by it, if they were alive .
everyone has their price
said to mean that everyone can be persuaded to do something dishonest or immoral , if they are offered a large enough amount of money
for it's/their own sake
If you do something for its own sake , you do it because you want to, or because you enjoy it, and not for any other reason . You can also talk about, for example , art for art's sake or sport for sport's sake .
go their separate ways
When two or more people who have been together for some time go their separate ways , they go to different places or end their relationship .
put sb in their place
If you put someone in their place , you show them that they are less important or clever than they think they are.
put their heads together
to consult together
take sb at their word
If you take someone at their word , you believe that they mean exactly what they say .
to give sb their due
You can say ' to give him his due ', or ' giving him his due ' when you are admitting that there are some good things about someone, even though there are things that you do not like about them.
bring someone to their senses
to cause someone to become reasonable after being foolish
keep someone on their toes
If you say that someone or something keeps you on your toes , you mean that they cause you to remain alert and ready for anything that might happen .
knock someone off their perch
to cause someone to fail , or damage their status or position
nobody in their right mind
If you say that nobody in their right mind would do a particular thing, you are emphasizing that it is an irrational thing to do and you would be surprised if anyone did it.
put someone off their stride
to stop someone from concentrating on what they are doing, so that they do not do it as well as usual
put someone off their stroke
to stop someone from concentrating on what they are doing, so that they do not do it as well as usual
put sb out of their misery
If you put someone out of their misery , you tell them something that they are very anxious to know .
someone has had their day
said to mean that the period during which someone was most successful has now passed
someone has raised their game
If you say that someone has raised their game , you mean that they have begun to perform better , usually because they were under pressure to do so.
someone has shot their bolt
said to mean that someone has done everything they can to achieve something but has failed , and now can do nothing else to achieve their aims
stop someone in their tracks
to make someone suddenly stop moving or doing something because they are very surprised , impressed , or frightened
sweep someone off their feet
to be so attractive , romantic , and exciting that someone falls in love with you almost as soon as they meet you
beat someone at their own game
to do something more successfully than someone else, although they have a reputation for doing it very well
knock someone off their pedestal
to show that someone is not as good or talented as people generally think
play someone at their own game
to behave towards someone in the same unfair or unpleasant way that they have been behaving towards you
put sb/go through their paces
If you put someone through their paces or make them go through their paces , you get them to show you how well they can do something.
put someone through their paces
to get someone to show you how well they can do something
someone gets their fingers burned
said to mean that when someone tries to do something, it goes wrong , and there are very unpleasant consequences for them, so that they feel nervous about trying again
someone is wasting their breath
said to mean that there is no point in someone continuing with what they are saying , because it will not have any effect
clear your debts
A debt is a sum of money that you owe someone.
voice your opinion
Your opinion about something is what you think or believe about it.
in our (or your or their) midst
among us (or you or them)
scare someone out of their wits
to make someone very frightened or worried
see someone in their true colours
to suddenly become aware that a person is not as moral or honest as you thought they were
set someone back on their heels
to surprise or shock someone, and often put them at a disadvantage
someone does not dirty their hands
said to mean that someone avoids doing physical work or the parts of a job that they consider unpleasant or distasteful
someone's heart is in their mouth
said to mean that someone feels extremely anxious or nervous , because they think something bad may be about to happen
to sweep someone off their feet
If someone sweeps you off your feet , you fall in love with them very quickly because you find them very attractive or exciting .
consider your options
An option is something that you can choose to do in preference to one or more alternatives .
express your opinion
Your opinion about something is what you think or believe about it.
show sb their place/keep sb in their place
If you say that someone should be shown their place or be kept in their place , you are saying , often in a humorous way , that they should be made aware of their low status .
give someone a run for their money
to put up a very strong challenge in a contest which someone else is expected to win fairly easily
help the police with their inquiries
If you say that someone is helping the police with their inquiries , you mean that the police are questioning them about a crime , but have not yet charged them with it.
leave someone to their own resources
to leave someone alone
pay someone back in their own coin
to treat someone in exactly the same, bad way that they have treated you
someone is caught with their pants down
said to mean that something happens that someone is not prepared for and that reveals an embarrassing or shocking fact about them. In British English, you can also say that someone is caught with their trousers down .
someone's bark is worse than their bite
If you say that someone's bark is worse than their bite , you mean that they seem much more unpleasant or hostile than they really are.
to beat someone at their own game
If you beat someone at their own game , you use the same methods that they have used, but more successfully, so that you gain an advantage over them.
Chinese translation of 'their'
their
(ðɛəʳ)
adj
(of men, boys, mixed group) 他们(們)的 (tāmen de)
⇒ Their children grew up in the countryside.他们的孩子在乡间长大。 (Tāmen de háizi zài xiāngjiān zhǎngdà.)
(of women, girls) 她们(們)的 (tāmen de)
⇒ The girls went out with their boyfriends.女孩们和她们的男朋友们一起出去了。 (Nǚháimen hé tāmen de nánpéngyoumen yīqǐ chūqù le.)
(of things, animals) 它们(們)的 (tāmen de)
⇒ The trees shed their leaves every autumn.这些树每年秋天都落叶。 (Zhèxiē shù měi nián qiūtiān dōu luò yè.)
(= his or her) 他/她的 (tā/tā de)
⇒ Does anyone need any help with their homework?谁做家庭作业需要帮助？ (Shuí zuò jiātíng zuòyè xūyào bāngzhù?)
All related terms of 'their'
their fellow prisoners/students
他们(們)的狱(獄)友/同学(學) tāmen de yùyǒu/tóngxué
they went their separate ways
( to different places ) 他们(們)分道扬(揚)镳(鑣)了 tāmen fēn dào yáng biāo le