How do you use the word "the" in a sentence?

Here are real-life examples of using "the": The password is "Muiriel". I was in the mountains.

The Meaning

/ðə/

Definition, CEFR level A1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.

Definition

articleUsed before a noun phrase, including a simple noun

articleUsed before a noun phrase, including a simple noun, The definite grammatical article that shows that the noun phrase that immediately follows it is definitely identifiable..., ...because it has already been mentioned, is to be completely specified in the same sentence, or very shortly thereafter.

Sentence Examples

The password is "Muiriel".

I was in the mountains.

The baby had been abandoned by its mother.

CEFR Practice Quiz

____ moon was bright and full last night.

CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)

Please put ____ book back on a shelf after reading.

Word Origin & History

From Middle English þe, from Old English þē m (“the, that”, demonstrative pronoun), a late variant of sē, the s- (which occurred in the masculine and feminine nominative singular only) having been replaced by the þ- from the oblique stem. replaced words, cognates Originally neutral nominative, in Middle English it superseded all previous Old English nominative forms (sē m, sēo f, þæt n, þā pl); sē is from Proto-West Germanic *siz, from Proto-Germanic *sa, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *só. Cognate with Saterland Frisian die (“the”), West Frisian de (“the”), Dutch de (“the”), German Low German de (“the”), German der (“the”), Danish de (“the”), Swedish de (“the”), Icelandic sá (“that”) within Germanic and with Sanskrit स (sá, “the, that”), Ancient Greek ὁ (ho, “the”), Tocharian B se (“this”) among other Indo-European languages.

Literary Quotations & Historical Citations

"I sleep in the bedroom!" — 2016, VOA Learning English, archived from the original on 30 Sep 2017:

"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty." — 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Revelation 1:8, column 2:

""Good Heavens, man! Why, he is the authority. If you want pure laboratory experiments those are the books."" — 1925 July – 1926 May, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “(please specify the chapter number)”, in The Land of Mist (eBook no. 0601351h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg Australia, published April 2019:

"“New Kid On The Block” doubles as a terrific showcase for the Sea Captain who, in the grand tradition of Simpsons supporting characters, quickly goes from being a stereotype to an archetype, from being a crusty sea-captain character to the crusty sea-captain character." — 2012 May 27, Nathan Rabin, “TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “New Kid On The Block” (season 4, episode 8; originally aired 11/12/1992)”, in The Onion AV Club:

""My name," he said, "is Hercule Poirot." "Not," the Commissary stammered, "not the Hercule Poirot?"" — 1928, Agatha Christie, The Mystery of the Blue Train:

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