her

 
Pronunciation: /həː/

pronoun

[third person singular]
  • 1used as the object of a verb or preposition to refer to a female person or animal previously mentioned or easily identified: she knew I hated her I told Hannah I would wait for her
  • referring to a ship, country, or other inanimate thing regarded as female: the crew tried to sail her through a narrow gap
  • used after the verb ‘to be’ and after ‘than’ or ‘as’: it must be her he was younger than herSee her (usage) below
  • West Indian she: she will get all her wants
  • 2 archaic or North American dialect herself: peevishly she flung her on her face

possessive determiner

  • 1belonging to or associated with a female person or animal previously mentioned or easily identified: Patricia loved her job
  • belonging to or associated with a ship, country, or other inanimate thing regarded as female: at her launch, she was the ultimate in luxury transatlantic travel
  • 2 (Her) used in titles: Her Majesty

Phrases

her indoors

British informal, humorous one’s wife: I was taking her indoors out for a day at the zoo

Origin:

Old English hire, genitive and dative of hīo, hēo 'she'

Is it incorrect to say I am older than her (rather than I am older than she) or it’s her all right (rather than it’s she all right) and, if so, why? For a discussion of this issue, see personal pronoun (usage).