it
pronoun
(used to represent an inanimate thing understood, previously mentioned, about to be mentioned, or present in the immediate context).
it
1 American
[it]
/ ɪt /
pronoun
-
they,
plural nominative
-
them,
objective
-
its,
possessive
-
their,
possessive
-
theirs
possessive
-
(used to represent an inanimate thing understood, previously mentioned, about to be mentioned, or present in the immediate context).
It has whitewall tires and red upholstery.
You can't tell a book by its cover.
-
(used to represent an animal understood, previously mentioned, or about to be mentioned whose sex is unknown or disregarded).
It was the largest shark ever caught off the Florida coast.
The horse had its saddle on.
-
(used to represent a person of previously unknown identity, in a sentence seeking, establishing, or commenting on their identity).
"I heard the phone ring—who was it?" "It was John."
Someone got hurt, but they think it was not the driver.
-
(used to represent a group understood or previously mentioned).
The judge told the jury it must decide two issues.
-
(used to represent a concept or abstract idea understood or previously stated).
It all started with my choice to walk out that door.
He has been taught to believe it all his life.
-
(used to represent an action or activity understood, previously mentioned, or about to be mentioned).
Since you don't like it, you don't have to go skiing.
-
(used as the impersonal subject of the verb to be, especially to refer to time, distance, or the weather).
It is six o'clock.
It is five miles to town.
It was foggy.
-
(used in statements expressing an action, condition, fact, circumstance, or situation without reference to an agent).
If it weren't for Edna, I wouldn't go.
-
(used in referring to something as the origin or cause of pain, pleasure, etc.).
Where does it hurt?
It looks bad for the candidate.
-
(used in referring to a source not specifically named or described).
It is said that love is blind.
-
(used in referring to the general state of affairs, circumstances, fate, or life in general).
How's it going with you?
-
(used as an anticipatory subject or object in order to shift emphasis).
It is necessary that you do your duty.
It is I who should apologize.
It was a very kind thing he did there.
-
Informal. (used instead of the pronoun its before a gerund).
It having rained for only one hour didn't help the crops.
noun
-
(in children's games) the player called upon to perform some task, such as, in tag, the one who must catch the other players.
-
Slang.
-
sex appeal.
-
sexual intercourse.
-
idioms
-
get with it, to become active or interested.
He was warned to get with it or resign.
-
with it,
-
aware of the latest fads, fashions, etc.; up-to-date.
By grooving on teenage slang, the principal is trying to show us how with it she is, but the effect is something like seeing a mohawk on Grandma.
-
attentive or alert.
I'm just not with it early in the morning.
-
understanding or appreciative of something.
Let's face it—when it comes to originality, Hollywood isn't really with it.
-
Carnival Slang. being a member of the carnival.
-
-
it is what it is. see it is what it is.
-
it's not over till it's over. see it's not over till it's over.
-
have it,
-
to love someone.
She really has it bad for him.
-
to possess the requisite abilities for something; be talented, adept, or proficient.
In this business you either have it or you don't.
-
it
2
American
[it]
/ ɪt /
noun
British Informal.
It
3
American
abbreviation
IT
4
American
abbreviation
It.
5
American
abbreviation
-
Italian.
-
Italy.
it
1
British
/ ɪt /
pronoun
-
refers to a nonhuman, animal, plant, or inanimate thing, or sometimes to a small baby
it looks dangerous
give it a bone
-
refers to an unspecified or implied antecedent or to a previous or understood clause, phrase, etc
it is impossible
I knew it
-
used to represent human life or experience either in totality or in respect of the present situation
how's it going?
I've had it
to brazen it out
-
used as a formal subject (or object), referring to a following clause, phrase, or word
it helps to know the truth
I consider it dangerous to go on
-
used in the nominative as the formal grammatical subject of impersonal verbs. When it functions absolutely in such sentences, not referring to any previous or following clause or phrase, the context is nearly always a description of the environment or of some physical sensation
it is raining
it hurts
-
informal (used as complement with be) the crucial or ultimate point
the steering failed and I thought that was it
noun
-
(in children's games) the player whose turn it is to try to touch another Compare he 1
-
informal
-
sexual intercourse
-
sex appeal
-
-
informal a desirable quality or ability
he's really got it
It.
2
British
abbreviation
-
Italian
-
Italy
IT
3
British
abbreviation
it
4
British
abbreviation
it
More Idioms
Grammar
See me.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of it1
First recorded before 900; Middle English hit, hitte, it, Old English hit, neuter of he 1
Origin of it2
First recorded in 1930–35; It(alian vermouth)
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"I can't wait for them to tee it up," said European captain Anna Nordqvist.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026
Here are the numbers on what it would cost and the more complex analysis of what it mean for the economy.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
"I think it just shows how important each game is," said British number one Lottie Woad, who makes her debut for Europe this week.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026
Although she tried to “avoid” talking to Hart about her living situation, the “Ride Along” star refused to drop it.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
Joey decides it would be safer to walk at night, away from the road and watchful eyes.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
It is not clear how the spending would be monitored.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026
It expects to report sales growth of around 2% for its Primark budget retail business for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
It might seem like fluff if you’re not paying attention, but it’s worth looking a little harder.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026
"It would be nice for those people who called me a traitor to know that I'm not a traitor."
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026
It is often considered a form of “thought war.”
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
ServiceNow, which helps companies handle IT support and automates business tasks, reported better-than-expected sales growth in July.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
Analysts Katherine Murphy and Michael Ng said the change was partially owed to the build out of data centers likely supporting continued demand growth for enterprise IT hardware.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026
“Accordingly, the opportunity for error and other failure with this new IT system comparing a batch manifest with the new statewide list is high.”
From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2026
"The apparently sloppy and rushed manner in which the federal ballot mail portal and supporting IT systems are being built poses significant risk," said the official, who is represented by the nonprofit Whistleblower Aid.
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
IT beckoned him, lilting and insistent; delicate music, played by delicate instruments that he could not identify, with one rippling, bell-like phrase running through it in a gold thread of delight.
From "The Dark is Rising" by Susan Cooper
Over the counter, another sign cheekily warns: “Don’t Try It. You Won’t Like It.”
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026
When the apartment finally went quiet, I opened my Notes app and typed: “You. Can. Have. It. All.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2025
Its "See It. Say It. Sorted." campaign was launched in 2016 and then relaunched last year, encouraging the public to report "anything unusual", either to station staff or to British Transport Police.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2025
“Let. It. Go,” wrote The Sentinel on April 2 in an editorial, referring to the popular song from the Disney movie “Frozen.”
From New York Times ● Apr. 17, 2023
I added, “Neither do I. It. . . it just had to be.”
From "Dragonwings" by Laurence Yep
First they traded for defensive stars Myles Garrett and Trent McDuffie, which cemented them as championship favourites.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026
While Americans would not spend all of the $5,000, a reasonable assumption is they would spend over 60%, or what economists call the marginal propensity to consume.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
High Line’s founders say they’re aware they are working against strong headwinds in publishing, but believe they are offering something the public is hungry for and a need that has been underserved by mainstream publishers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
"They don't let things bother them. They let things kind of roll off their back if something doesn't go the way they planned and they seem really focused."
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026
Government officials had no idea what to do with Early, so they sent him to Port Townsend, Washington, to serve as a caretaker for another leper.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
"We know cancer can be terrifying so we are a bit like a dog with the bone, backing up patients and supporting them wherever we can."
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026
The $5,000 dividend stands in comparison to the roughly $65,000 the median full-time worker makes, based on Labor Department statistics for the second quarter and annualizing them.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
Yet today, many Jews believe that publishing is biased against them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
“It was all appropriated guitar bodies which Lucien had then turned into wall sculpture by either painting or adorning them with bottle caps, glitter, tin foil, etc,” Powers wrote in Office Magazine.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026
After he plays it, he asks them if the chord was a “happy” chord or a “sad” chord.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
A bitter succession dispute has erupted in one of Uganda's traditional kingdoms, days before the burial of its late king, who until his death had been the world's youngest reigning monarch.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026
The AI and electrification demand narratives are longer-term but there are cyclical factors pushing copper prices up to its all-time highs too, Cryer points out.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
PEN America said its longstanding policy on cultural and academic boycotts hasn’t changed, opposing boycotts institutionally while defending the rights of individuals to engage in them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
If “Crew Girl” is formulaic in its broad strokes, nice details are worked in among them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026
Gravediggers work overtime as January reaches its end.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
People can and do spend more than just their income, through borrowing, tapping savings or selling assets.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
As the Kospi jumped from 8000 to above 9000, their contribution to market swings rose to 99%, it added.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
But there is more desperation than evil in their characters.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026
Following this, some crew members had their photos and names shared on social media, in posts accusing them of treason.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026
They have the capital city in their grip but can’t force it back to life.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
And here, Walker and Auen offer theirs, fashioning academia into a key that opens a portal to the past, present and future.
From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2026
On 4 August 170 people had to be rescued after theirs caught fire in the middle of the Channel.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
He added that the Ukrainians had informed Romania the drone wasn’t theirs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
Perhaps to their point, you aren’t burdened by your own children — don’t allow yourself to be burdened by theirs.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026
The only fireplace Danny had ever seen in someone’s house had been at the Finnegans’—but theirs had expensive fake logs that ran on electricity and had flames on a screen.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
