Showing results for "its"

• possessive of it.

Jump To:

• its
  its

  pronoun

  the possessive form of it (used as an attributive adjective).
• it's
  it's

  contraction of it is:

its

¹ American  

[its] / ɪts /

pronoun

1. the possessive form of it (used as an attributive adjective).

   The book has lost its jacket. I'm sorry about its being so late.

---

it's ² American  

[its] / ɪts /

1. contraction of it is:

   It's starting to rain.

2. contraction of it has: It's been a long time.

---

its ¹ British  

/ ɪts /

determiner

1. 1. of, belonging to, or associated in some way with it

      its left rear wheel

   2. ( as pronoun )

      each town claims its is the best

---

it's ² British  

/ ɪts /

contraction

1. it is or it has

---

Usage

While it is possible to use its as a predicate adjective ( The cat is angry because the bowl you're eating out of is its! ) or as a pronoun meaning “that or those belonging to it” ( Your notebook pages are torn. Borrow my notebook—its aren't ), such use is rare and in most circumstances strained. See also me.

See contraction.

One of the commonest mistakes made in written English is the confusion of its and it's . You can see examples of this every day in books, magazines, and newspapers: its good for us; a smart case with it's own mirror , and even Cheng, and its' subsidiaries . Its refers to something belonging to or relating to a thing that has already been mentioned: the baby threw its rattle out of the pram . It's is a shortened way of saying it is or it has (the apostrophe indicates that a letter has been omitted: it's a lovely day; it's been a great weekend .

Commonly Confused

A very common mistake is to write its (the possessive form of it ) when it's (the short form of it is or it has ) is required: It's [it is] unclear what he meant. It's [it has] been wonderful seeing you again. But do not use it's for it has when has is the main verb: It has a strong flavor; use it sparingly cannot be written as It's a strong flavor… An equally common mistake is to use it's for the possessive, probably because ordinary possessives of nouns are formed with an apostrophe: the dog's coat; Mary's cell phone. But the possessive its is a pronoun, not a noun, and, like other possessive pronouns ( his, hers, yours, and theirs ), is written without that particular bit of punctuation: I have to fix my bike. Its front wheel came off.

See its.

Etymology

Origin of its

First recorded in 1590–1600; earlier it's, equivalent to it ¹ + 's ²

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

its it's

The Southern Californian chain Vallarta Supermarkets opened its newest store in Duarte on Wednesday, marking the 66th location for the popular Latin American grocer.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026

Its the latest in a series of expansions for Vallarta, which opened a store in Rancho Cucamonga in April and opened its first location outside of California in Arizona in January.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026

Still, the burden of the jury verdict and Judge Mathew’s order is that Meta can’t be trusted to live up to its promises.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026

Counterpoint humanized publishing, revered its authors, honored and will live on in its books.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026

When her illness is in its quiet stages, she can move through Manila without incident.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

It doesn’t mean that they don’t love each other, but it’s just that this is not the way that we want to spend the rest of our lives.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026

“Over the past three years, it’s become impossible to get by. I’ve never been more worried,” Taqdeer said.

From Slate ● Oct. 23, 2026

"The Texas facility may not be as immediately important to US interests as the arrangement tied to Venezuelan oil, but I still think it's part of the story," he says.

From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026

Here, Matt’s friends are bribed into blabbing about his past sins, although the script doesn’t bother to tell us what exactly he’s alleged to have done or whether it’s true.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026

I know it’s crazy, but I thought he’d never love anyone other than Mom.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---