Showing results for "its"

• possessive of it.

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• 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.

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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.

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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

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it's ² British  

/ ɪts /

contraction

1. it is or it has

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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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

its it's

DWP says its recent high bills are driven by spiking power use during the record-breaking summer heat, especially for air conditioning, not by rate increases.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026

Then, Meta wants everyone to play with its new A.I. model but is the cuteness covering up something sinister?

From Slate ● Oct. 17, 2026

After initially concentrating on small-scale renovations, DIY SOS shifted focus to tackle a number of more ambitious projects throughout its multiple-decade run.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

Porsche, facing dramatic sales declines in China, announced its own plan earlier this month to bolster its business by offering more expensive vehicles rather than chasing volume.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026

A water strider zips around on the surface of the water, making patterns in its wake.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

If anything was learned about Santa Margarita last season in its first year under Palmer, it’s that the Eagles have one of the best coaching staffs in the state and keep improving each week.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026

But it’s also worth observing: He may be completely honest about how he has zero interest in running for president next year.

From Slate ● Oct. 17, 2026

Then again, it’s tough to compete for attention when Musk’s rocket vapor-cloud filled the air and the Roadster did flips through the sky.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026

"But then it's about, trying to find out the ways to be more aggressive."

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

In southwest Texas, it’s cool now; later, we’ll be baking.

From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes

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