apostrophe

¹ American  

[uh-pos-truh-fee] / əˈpɒs trə fi /

noun

1. the sign ('), as used: to indicate the omission of one or more letters in a word, whether unpronounced, as in o'er for over, or pronounced, as in gov't for government; to indicate the possessive case, as in man's; or to indicate plurals of abbreviations and symbols, as in several M.D.'s, 3's.

---

apostrophe ² American  

[uh-pos-truh-fee] / əˈpɒs trə fi /

noun

Rhetoric.

1. a digression in the form of an address to someone not present, or to a personified object or idea, as “O Death, where is thy sting?”

---

apostrophe ¹ British  

/ əˈpɒstrəfɪ, ˌæpəˈstrɒfɪk /

noun

1. rhetoric a digression from a discourse, esp an address to an imaginary or absent person or a personification

---

apostrophe ² British  

/ əˈpɒstrəfɪ /

noun

1. the punctuation mark ' used to indicate the omission of a letter or number, such as he's for he has or he is, also used in English to form the possessive, as in John's father and twenty pounds' worth

---

apostrophe Cultural  

1. A mark (') used with a noun or pronoun to indicate possession (“the student's comment,” “the people's choice”) or in a contraction to show where letters have been left out (isn't, don't, we'll).

---

Other Word Forms

• apostrophic adjective

Etymology

Origin of apostrophe¹

1580–90; < Middle French (with pronunciation later altered by confusion with apostrophe ² ), replacing earlier apostrophus < Late Latin (> Middle French ) < Greek apóstrophos ( prosōidía ) eliding (mark), literally, (mark) of turning away, verbid of apostréphein to turn away, equivalent to apo- apo- + stréphein to turn; strophe

Origin of apostrophe²

1525–35; < Late Latin < Greek apostrophḗ a turning away, equivalent to apostroph- (verbid of apostréphein; apostrophe ¹ ) + -ē noun suffix

Example Sentences

Even then, the apostrophe in the logo was a pepper.

From Slate • Aug. 11, 2025

He recently added an apostrophe to his first name, now stylized as “Tre’.”

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 3, 2025

Soon after the new sign was erected, someone drew an apostrophe on it.

From New York Times • May 10, 2024

Postie Sam was just finishing her round when we caught up with her near a new St Mary's Walk sign that had been erected in the town with no apostrophe.

From BBC • May 5, 2024

If you’ve similarly always wanted to know where to use an apostrophe, it means you never will, doesn’t it?

From "Eats, Shoots & Leaves" by Author

Related Words

• detour
• footnote