theirs /ðeə r z/ Theirs is the third person plural possessive pronoun. 1 PRON You use theirs to indicate that something belongs or relates to the group of people, animals, or things that you are talking about. □ There was a big group of a dozen people at the table next to theirs. □ It would cost about £3000 to install a new heating system in a flat such as theirs.
2 PRON You use theirs instead of 'his or hers' to indicate that something belongs or relates to a person without saying whether that person is a man or a woman. Some people think this use is incorrect. □ If someone wanted it, it would be theirs for the taking.
them ◆◆◆ /ðəm, STRONG ðem/ Them is a third person plural pronoun. Them is used as the object of a verb or preposition. 1 PRON You use them to refer to a group of people, animals, or things. □ Kids these days have no one to tell them what's right and wrong. □ His dark socks, I could see, had a stripe on them.
2 PRON You use them instead of 'him or her' to refer to a person without saying whether that person is a man or a woman. Some people think this use is incorrect. □ It takes great courage to face your child and tell them the truth.
3 DET In non-standard spoken English, them is sometimes used instead of 'those'. □ 'Our Billy doesn't eat them ones,' Helen said.
the|mat|ic /θiːmæ t I k/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] Thematic means concerned with the subject or theme of something, or with themes and topics in general. [FORMAL ] □ …assembling this material into thematic groups. ● the|mati|cal|ly /θiːmæ t I kli/ ADV □ …a thematically-linked threesome of songs.
theme ◆◇◇ /θiː m/ (themes )
1 N‑COUNT A theme in a piece of writing, a talk, or a discussion is an important idea or subject that runs through it. □ [+ of ] The theme of the summit was women as 'agents of change'.
2 N‑COUNT A theme in an artist's work or in a work of literature is an idea in it that the artist or writer develops or repeats. □ The novel's central theme is the perennial conflict between men and women.
3 N‑COUNT A theme is a short simple tune on which a piece of music is based. □ …variations on themes from Mozart's The Magic Flute.
4 N‑COUNT [usu N n] Theme music or a theme song is a piece of music that is played at the beginning and end of a film or of a television or radio programme. □ [+ from ] …the theme from Dr Zhivago. SYNONYMS theme NOUN 1
subject: …steering the conversation round to his favourite subject.
topic: The main topic for discussion is political union.
motif: The motif of these volumes is that 'solitude is the richness of the soul, loneliness is its poverty.'
themed /θiː md/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] A themed place or event has been created so that it shows a particular historical time or way of life, or tells a well-known story. [mainly BRIT ] □ …themed restaurants, bars, and nightclubs.
the me park (theme parks ) N‑COUNT A theme park is a large outdoor area where people pay to go to enjoy themselves. All the different activities in a theme park are usually based on a particular idea or theme.
the me pub (theme pubs ) N‑COUNT A theme pub is a pub that has been decorated and furnished in a style that is often based on a particular country or type of activity. [mainly BRIT ] □ …Irish theme pubs.
them|self /ðəmse lf/ PRON Themself is sometimes used instead of 'themselves' when it clearly refers to a singular subject. Some people consider this use to be incorrect. □ No one perceived themself to be in a position to hire such a man.
them|selves ◆◆◆ /ðəmse lvz/ Themselves is the third person plural reflexive pronoun. 1 PRON You use themselves to refer to people, animals, or things when the object of a verb or preposition refers to the same people or things as the subject of the verb. □ They all seemed to be enjoying themselves. □ The men talked amongst themselves.
2 PRON You use themselves to emphasize the people or things that you are referring to. Themselves is also sometimes used instead of 'them' as the object of a verb or preposition. [EMPHASIS ] □ Many mentally ill people are themselves unhappy about the idea of community care.
3 PRON You use themselves instead of 'himself or herself' to refer back to the person who is the subject of a sentence without saying whether it is a man or a woman. Some people think this use is incorrect. □ What can a patient with emphysema do to help themselves?
4 PRON You use themselves instead of 'himself or herself' to emphasize the person you are referring to without saying whether it is a man or a woman. Themselves is also sometimes used as the object of a verb or preposition. Some people think this use is incorrect. [EMPHASIS ] □ Each student makes only one item themselves.
then ◆◆◆ /ðe n/
1 ADV Then means at a particular time in the past or in the future. □ He wanted an income after his retirement; until then, he wouldn't require additional money. □ The clinic opened for business last October and since then has treated more than 200 people.
2 ADJ [ADJ n] Then is used when you refer to something which was true at a particular time in the past but is not true now. □ The bill was enacted by the then Labour Government. ● ADV Then is also an adverb. □ Richard Strauss, then 76 years old, suffered through the war years in silence.
3 ADV [ADV before v] You use then to say that one thing happens after another, or is after another on a list. □ Add the oil and then the scallops to the pan, leaving a little space for the garlic.
4 ADV You use then in conversation to indicate that what you are about to say follows logically in some way from what has just been said or implied. □ 'I wasn't a very good scholar at school.'—'What did you like doing best then?'