Showing results for "theirs"

• possessive of he.
• possessive of it.
• possessive of she.
• possessive of they.

theirs

American  

[thairz] / ðɛərz /

pronoun

1. a form of the possessive case of plural they used as a predicate adjective, after a noun or without a noun: Oh, you know Walt and Liz—are you a friend of theirs?

   It is theirs.

   Oh, you know Walt and Liz—are you a friend of theirs?

2. a form of the possessive case of singular they used as a predicate adjective, after a noun or without a noun.

   1. (used to refer to a generic or unspecified person previously mentioned, about to be mentioned, or present in the immediate context).

      I have my book—does everyone else have theirs?

   2. (used to refer to a specific or known person previously mentioned, about to be mentioned, or present in the immediate context).

      The child couldn’t say whether or not the coat was theirs.

   3. (used to refer to a nonbinary or gender-nonconforming person previously mentioned, about to be mentioned, or present in the immediate context).

      I've already gotten my coffee, but Morgan is still waiting to get theirs.

3. that which belongs to them.

   The Joneses don't usually flaunt their money, but theirs is the largest house on the block.

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theirs British  

/ ðɛəz /

pronoun

1. something or someone belonging to or associated in some way with them

   theirs is difficult

2. not_standard something or someone belonging to or associated in some way with an indefinite antecedent such as one, whoever, or anybody

   everyone thinks theirs is best

3. belonging to or associated with them

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Usage

See they.

Etymology

Origin of theirs

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English theires, thair(e)s, theres; see origin at their, -s ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

theirs

“We have the ability to accept costs because our resources are great. Iran does not, because theirs are few,” said Barry Posen, a political science professor at MIT.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

Since that $26 million refusal, Bare and Huddleston, two self-described “country hicks,” have become polarizing heroes of the rural campaign against the AI technology rewiring geopolitics, the economy—and now hometowns like theirs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

When Mountbatten-Windsor lost his titles, both princesses kept theirs, but neither is a working royal.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

What the note points out is that workers in highly exposed occupations are finding it harder to transition to other jobs once they have lost theirs.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026

The bad news was that the river destroyed many of the boundary markers, erasing all of the landmarks that told farmers which land was theirs to cultivate.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife