is
verbAU, CA, UK, US /ɪz/ · NZ /ɘz/
Etymology From Middle English is, from Old English is, from Proto-West Germanic *ist, from Proto-Germanic *isti (a form of Proto-Germanic *wesaną (“to be”)), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ésti (“is”). Cognate with West Frisian is (“is”), Dutch is (“is”), German ist (“is”), Yiddish איז (iz, “is”), Afrikaans is (“am, are, is”) Old Swedish är, er, Old Norse er, es. Further cognates include, among others, Latin est, Ancient Greek ἐστί (estí), Sanskrit अस्ति (asti), Persian است (ast), Russian есть (jestʹ), all with the same meaning.
Indicative, Present, Third person third-person singular simple present indicative of be
- He is a doctor.
- "It depends on what the meaning of the word 'is' is."1999 January 8, Ken Starr, quoting Bill Clinton, Referral from Independent Counsel Kenneth W. Starr in Conformity with the Requirements of Title 28, United States Code, Section 595(c) (Starr Report), Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, retrieved 14 Feb 2020, page 176:
1 more example
- "It's not two weeks yet," I reminded her, hoping that might somehow cheer her. […] "Tomorrow is two weeks," Ruth said in a distant voice, staring into the flames.2012, Robert Moore, Where the Gold is Buried, a legend of Old Fort Niagara, →ISBN, page 137:
Colloquial Used in phrases with existential there (also here and where) when the semantic subject is plural.
- There is three of them there.
- Ber. There is five in the firſt ſhew, / Ken. You are deceiued, tis not so.c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Loues Labour’s Lost”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii], page 141, column 2:
Dialectal, Indicative, Present present indicative of be; am, are, is.
- Let the whole world know we's on some off-key tip2001, “Witness (1 Hope)”, in Run Come save me, performed by Roots Manuva:
- "Them niggas shot my girl, yo! And I ain't gonna sleep until all of them niggas is dead!" RJ hissed.2012, Trae Macklin, Flippin' The Hustle:
4 more examples
- "Y'all is some disorganized niggahs," Mama Byrd said.2013, Tu-Shonda Whitaker, The Ex Factor, page 270:
- Who the fuck do you think I is? / You ain't married to no average bitch, boy2016, “Don't Hurt Yourself”, in Lemonade, performed by Beyoncé:
- Nigga, yeah, you's a bitch2022, “Plan B”, performed by Megan Thee Stallion:
- Like Jazzie, Stacie, Nicki / All of the Barbies is pretty / All of the Barbies is bad2023, “Barbie World”, in Barbie: The Album, performed by Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice:
- Synonyms
- beeth, bes