Using the word “they” as a gender-neutral pronoun has become more common for people who identify as a mix of male and female — or as neither. US dictionary Merriam-Webster says “they” was one of its most-searched terms.

The singular “they” was crowned word of the year for 2019 by Merriam-Webster, the US dictionary announced on Tuesday.

The word “they” is increasingly used as a pronoun for people who identify as nonbinary, meaning their gender identity is a mix of male or female or rejection of both, as well as for others in the LGBT+ community.

The dictionary, which officially broadened its definition of the word in September, said searches for the word increased by over 300% this year.

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