used to refer to the speaker and one or more other people as the object of a verb or preposition
Mom baked cookies for us to share after school.
The teacher asked us to form a circle.
✦ Old English ‘ūs’, accusative and dative plural of “we”.
the object form of “we”, used when the speaker and at least one other person receive the action of a verb or follow a preposition
Our neighbors invited us to their barbecue on Saturday.
The coach praised us for our hard work after the game.
✦ Old English “ūs”, accusative and dative plural of “wē” (we).
informal British: used in place of “me”, referring only to the speaker as the object of a verb or preposition
Give us a chance to explain before you decide.
Lend us your phone for a moment, mate.
✦ Extended from the standard object pronoun through dialectal speech patterns in British English.
used by a speaker or writer to refer to themselves together with one or more other people as the subject of a sentence
We are going to the beach this afternoon.
If we work together, we can finish early.
used to mean people in general, including the speaker, when stating a general truth or rule
We use the internet to find information quickly nowadays.
We need food and water to survive.
used by a single speaker or writer, such as a monarch, editor, or teacher, to refer to themselves in a formal or authoritative way
“We find that the study offers valuable insights,” stated the newspaper’s editor.
At the ceremony, the queen declared, “We hereby open this session of parliament.”
abbreviation for the United States of America
She moved to the US to study engineering.
The US hosts many national parks with stunning landscapes.
✦ Initialism of “United States”.
the reflexive form of we or us, used when the speakers are also the object of the verb or preposition
After the long hike, we treated ourselves to huge chocolate milkshakes at the café.
We reminded ourselves to bring sunscreen before leaving for the beach.
✦ constructed in Middle English by combining our + selves, patterned after himself and themselves
used for emphasis to show that the speakers do something alone, without help, or to contrast with others
We painted the entire living room ourselves, saving a lot of money.
The teacher offered help, but we finished the science project ourselves.
belonging to us; used instead of “our” + noun to show that something is owned or connected with the speaker and at least one other person
The red bicycle leaning against the fence is ours, not the neighbor’s.
During the science fair, a male student smiled and whispered, "This award-winning model is ours!"
✦ from Middle English "oures", coming from Old English "ūre" (our) + genitive plural ending –s, following the pattern of “yours,” “hers,” etc.
