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:
Scientists have uncovered new details about how pancreatic cancer constantly changes its genetic makeup, allowing it to become more aggressive, spread throughout the body, and resist treatment.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 25, 2026
The approach is similar in principle to a medical CT scan, except that it maps atomic structures rather than tissues and organs.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 25, 2026
The fossil record often provides incomplete or conflicting clues, making it difficult to determine whether an extinct species primarily lived on land, in water, or in both environments.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 25, 2026
Using this information, their models could predict with more than 90% accuracy whether an animal possessed soft tissue flippers and whether it had highly or fully aquatic habits.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 25, 2026
They gather food and distribute it, but when Joey gets her share, she gives it all away.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
It also means that some previous experiments, particularly those measuring the overall properties of these materials, may need to be reconsidered.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 25, 2026
It was a perfect example showing the importance of chemistry between quarterback and receiver.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 25, 2026
It is as if the map-maker's compass points only to where crime has been recorded before.
From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2026
It won’t be the policy action the Fed takes that tells us its direction, but the direction and tone it takes toward financial conditions.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 25, 2026
It reminds me of the first time I got a premonition.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
In Mauritius, IT administrator Loganaden Velvindron said he too was flat out since his team realised just how much software relies on PHP.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
Australia said on Friday it had sanctioned two North Korean individuals and companies over the use of "fraudulent" IT workers and cybercrime to earn cash for the isolated nuclear-armed state.
From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026
He is running for reelection on Nov. 3 against Democrat Gerald Boursiquot, an IT contractor.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 18, 2026
In February, Raj Jegannathan stepped down from a job overseeing sales and services as well as IT for Tesla.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
IT had been just after dark and the park was full of those afraid to go home.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
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
“Supreme thinks I have It. You know, that thing that makes stars stars.”
From "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas
The person reported seeing tiny humans leap from a spoon into the bowl, where they began swimming.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 25, 2026
Brown dwarfs are generally too small to sustain the hydrogen fusion that powers ordinary stars, yet they are more massive than planets.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 25, 2026
However, scientists still do not fully understand the neurological mechanisms responsible for these experiences or how best to treat them when they occur in medical settings.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 25, 2026
Instead of finding a uniform crystal, they discovered a patchwork of regions containing two slightly different atomic arrangements.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 25, 2026
They smuggled shortwave radios into the hills so they could listen to overseas reports, which they would transcribe into their articles.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
By examining tumor cells individually rather than studying them in large groups, the team gained a clearer understanding of how different populations of cancer cells change their DNA as the disease progresses.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 25, 2026
Skubal and the Dodgers missed the World Series, and Henderson started Game 2 for the Brewers on Saturday, helping them move within two victories from their first championship.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 25, 2026
People decide what a suspicious person looks like on CCTV, or what counts as a risky loan, and they bring their own cultural, educational and political biases with them.
From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2026
They also have the potential to support extraordinarily powerful magnets, making them promising for future power grids, medical scanners, and quantum computers.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 25, 2026
I can’t see the detail in all of them, but I can make out the two biggest.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
Although the findings do not settle every question about how Spinosaurus hunted, they strengthen the case that this enormous predator spent much more of its life underwater than on land.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 25, 2026
He describes its unusual arrangement as "super weird" compared with our own Solar System.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 25, 2026
These findings suggest that CBN may have medical applications, but scientists need a clearer understanding of its benefits, potential side effects, and appropriate doses before determining how it can be used safely.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 25, 2026
Scientists have uncovered new details about how pancreatic cancer constantly changes its genetic makeup, allowing it to become more aggressive, spread throughout the body, and resist treatment.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 25, 2026
A sob chokes its way up my throat and I cover my mouth.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
However, the new analysis suggests that their limbs were not adapted for a life spent entirely in water.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 25, 2026
They begin seeing tiny human figures that appear to move through the real world, walking around objects, climbing over surfaces, and interacting with their surroundings.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 25, 2026
To investigate CD-35 2722, Hoy, Zurlo, and their colleagues used the CRIRES+ instrument installed on ESO's Very Large Telescope.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 25, 2026
"They suggest that black hole merging may be an additional, fast route for their rapid growth in the early Universe."
From Science Daily ● Oct. 25, 2026
They live in seclusion and solitude and are revered for their self-discipline and abstention from all forms of indulgence.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
They know the house is not theirs, but they built it, bro.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
Polling earlier this month indicated two-thirds of their fellow Gen-Zs would keep their social media algorithms – though nearly half of Australians more generally would turn theirs off.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
“No mayor has retained the same police commissioner from the administration prior to theirs since 1964,” she said, referring to Tisch, who was elevated under the previous mayor, Eric Adams.
From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026
"We can't live together. Our lives and theirs are completely different; we're not compatible," Cohen said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026
Their life is theirs and yours is yours; neither change nor exchange is possible.”
From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya
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