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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

its it's

In this Money Talks: Roy Swan joins Elizabeth Spiers to turn the assumption of a zero-sum economy on its head.

From Slate ● Sep. 15, 2026

With The Pitt flooding the supporting actress in a drama series category, the medical drama seemed poised to have one of its stars take home the prize.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

For 2026, the company is guiding for EPS growth at the top end of its 6%-8% outlook, and return on equity at the upper end of its 14%-16% guidance range.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

At its founding in 2015, OpenAI was structured to ensure that researchers, and not investors, would have the final say on how the technology was deployed, with safety for humanity the guiding philosophy.

From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026

She scans the floor for the weather radio, but Dad took it out to replace the batteries and it hasn’t made its way back.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

But Lawson has also been doing a good job this year, so it's not a given.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

The depth of character, the quality of relationships, the language — it’s just a beautiful show,” Fox said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026

With many employees back at their desks, it’s now investors’ turn to start planning their return to beaten-down real estate investment trusts.

From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026

Haas will want a quick driver who brings money, and it's not clear who the favourite is.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

Our land rush is over before it’s begun.

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