an'em
And them; a person plus their people.
Also called anem, and them.
Updated September 21, 2026
an'em pronunciation
/an-EM/
Meaning
A clipped way to say "and them." Stuck after a name, it means that person and the folks with them, usually family, friends, or a crew. "Mary an'em" is Mary and whoever she runs with, not a roll call of every name.
How folks use it
- “John an'em are coming over after church.”
- “Did you see Lisa an'em at the ball game?”
Origin and etymology
Spoken Southern and African American English shrink "and them" into an'em or anem. It works like an associative plural: one named person stands for the whole group. Print spellings vary because it lives mostly in speech.
Frequently asked questions
Who counts as "them"?
Whoever belongs with the named person in that moment: kids, cousins, coworkers, or a friend group. You do not have to list them.