Merriam-Webster dictionary adds 'dad joke' and non-binary 'they'

Merriam-Webster has officially added the nonbinary pronoun "they" as an entry in its dictionary. (Handout / Getty Images)

Merriam-Webster has officially added the non-binary pronoun "they" as an entry in its dictionary.

Merriam-Webster announced Tuesday that the word "they" can be used to refer to a single person whose gender identity is non-binary along with three other separate definitions.

Merriam-Webster uses the word in a sentence as an example: "I knew certain things about ... the person I was interviewing.... They had adopted their gender-neutral name a few years ago, when they began to consciously identify as non-binary -- that is, neither male nor female. They were in their late 20s, working as an event planner, applying to graduate school."

Merriam-Webster acknowledges that "they" consistently has been used a singular pronoun since the late 1300s. While adopting the pronoun as a non-binary description is vastly preferable for some, Merriam-Webster says, there has also been some debate that it is ungrammatical.

"Much has been written on they, and we aren't going to attempt to cover it here," a post on the dictionary's website reads.

Merriam-Webster also notes it has evidence in its files of the nonbinary "they" dating back to 1950, and that it's likely there are earlier uses of the non-binary pronoun out there.

Merriam-Webster's latest batch of updates includes 533 new words and meanings added to the dictionary.

"Words can come and go in a language, but those that show staying power and increasing use need to be recorded and described," reads a statement from Merriam-Webster.

Some of the other newly added words and terms include: