different between yous vs ous

English

Alternative forms

• (pronoun) youse, youze

Etymology

you +? -s (“plural suffix”)

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ju?z/, /j?z/
• Rhymes: -u?z

Pronoun

yous

1. (dialectal, chiefly Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, New York City, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Boston, New England, Northeastern United States, Chicago, Cincinnati, Liverpudlian, Cape Breton, Ireland, Scotland, Michigan, Teesside) You (plural). [from 19th c.]
2. (dialectal) You (singular).
   • 1909, PG Wodehouse, The Gem Collector:

     ‘Dere ain't no use for me dis side, Mr. Chames,’ he said. ‘New York's de spot. Youse don't want none of me, now you're married.’

   • 1938, Patrick Kavanagh, The Green Fool:

     ‘Yous will meet us here outside this pub,’ Harry Curniskey said.

   • 1988, Kathy Lette, Girls' Night Out:

     ‘But what I also seen is that youse have never had a real man before, datin' all them boys. Youse have never had anyone who'd stand up to youse.’

   • 1992, Edward Bond, In the Company of Men:

     You think yous can live wi'oot money! Few months doon this hell, you'll murder for money!

Usage notes

• Yous(e) as a plural is found mainly in (Northern) England, Scotland, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, northern Nova Scotia, parts of Ontario in Canada and parts of the northeastern United States (especially areas like Boston where there was historically Irish immigration) and in Mexican-American communities in the southwest. It also occurs in Scouse.
  • Both yourselves and, rarely, yousselves (or youseselves, coordinate with the spelling youse) are found as reflexive forms.
• Yous(e) as a singular is found in Philadelphia, New York, Boston, Cincinnati [1] and scattered throughout working class Italian-American communities in the Rust Belt.
  • Both yourself and, rarely, yousself (or youseself, coordinate with the spelling youse) are found as reflexive forms.

Synonyms

• See the list of other second-person pronouns at you

Determiner

yous

1. (dialect) The group spoken or written to.

   What are yous kids doing?

Noun

yous

1. plural of you

Verb

yous

1. Third-person singular simple present indicative form of you

English

Noun

ous

1. plural of ou

Anagrams

• OSU, Sou, USO, sou

Afrikaans

Noun

ous

1. plural of ou

Catalan

Noun

ous

1. plural of ou

Middle English

Pronoun

ous

1. Alternative form of us

Portuguese

Noun

ous

1. plural of ou