it
pronoun
(used to represent an inanimate thing understood, previously mentioned, about to be mentioned, or present in the immediate context).
Showing results for it.
Trivia Time
In Stephen King's novel It, what giant creature do the Losers face in their final confrontation?
it
1 American
[it]
/ ɪt /
pronoun
-
they,
plural nominative
-
them,
objective
-
its,
possessive
-
their,
possessive
-
theirs
possessive
-
(used to represent an inanimate thing understood, previously mentioned, about to be mentioned, or present in the immediate context).
It has whitewall tires and red upholstery.
You can't tell a book by its cover.
-
(used to represent an animal understood, previously mentioned, or about to be mentioned whose sex is unknown or disregarded).
It was the largest shark ever caught off the Florida coast.
The horse had its saddle on.
-
(used to represent a person of previously unknown identity, in a sentence seeking, establishing, or commenting on their identity).
"I heard the phone ring—who was it?" "It was John."
Someone got hurt, but they think it was not the driver.
-
(used to represent a group understood or previously mentioned).
The judge told the jury it must decide two issues.
-
(used to represent a concept or abstract idea understood or previously stated).
It all started with my choice to walk out that door.
He has been taught to believe it all his life.
-
(used to represent an action or activity understood, previously mentioned, or about to be mentioned).
Since you don't like it, you don't have to go skiing.
-
(used as the impersonal subject of the verb to be, especially to refer to time, distance, or the weather).
It is six o'clock.
It is five miles to town.
It was foggy.
-
(used in statements expressing an action, condition, fact, circumstance, or situation without reference to an agent).
If it weren't for Edna, I wouldn't go.
-
(used in referring to something as the origin or cause of pain, pleasure, etc.).
Where does it hurt?
It looks bad for the candidate.
-
(used in referring to a source not specifically named or described).
It is said that love is blind.
-
(used in referring to the general state of affairs, circumstances, fate, or life in general).
How's it going with you?
-
(used as an anticipatory subject or object in order to shift emphasis).
It is necessary that you do your duty.
It is I who should apologize.
It was a very kind thing he did there.
-
Informal. (used instead of the pronoun its before a gerund).
It having rained for only one hour didn't help the crops.
noun
-
(in children's games) the player called upon to perform some task, such as, in tag, the one who must catch the other players.
-
Slang.
-
sex appeal.
-
sexual intercourse.
-
idioms
-
get with it, to become active or interested.
He was warned to get with it or resign.
-
with it,
-
aware of the latest fads, fashions, etc.; up-to-date.
By grooving on teenage slang, the principal is trying to show us how with it she is, but the effect is something like seeing a mohawk on Grandma.
-
attentive or alert.
I'm just not with it early in the morning.
-
understanding or appreciative of something.
Let's face it—when it comes to originality, Hollywood isn't really with it.
-
Carnival Slang. being a member of the carnival.
-
-
it is what it is. see it is what it is.
-
it's not over till it's over. see it's not over till it's over.
-
have it,
-
to love someone.
She really has it bad for him.
-
to possess the requisite abilities for something; be talented, adept, or proficient.
In this business you either have it or you don't.
-
it
2
American
[it]
/ ɪt /
noun
British Informal.
It
3
American
abbreviation
IT
4
American
abbreviation
It.
5
American
abbreviation
-
Italian.
-
Italy.
it
1
British
/ ɪt /
pronoun
-
refers to a nonhuman, animal, plant, or inanimate thing, or sometimes to a small baby
it looks dangerous
give it a bone
-
refers to an unspecified or implied antecedent or to a previous or understood clause, phrase, etc
it is impossible
I knew it
-
used to represent human life or experience either in totality or in respect of the present situation
how's it going?
I've had it
to brazen it out
-
used as a formal subject (or object), referring to a following clause, phrase, or word
it helps to know the truth
I consider it dangerous to go on
-
used in the nominative as the formal grammatical subject of impersonal verbs. When it functions absolutely in such sentences, not referring to any previous or following clause or phrase, the context is nearly always a description of the environment or of some physical sensation
it is raining
it hurts
-
informal (used as complement with be) the crucial or ultimate point
the steering failed and I thought that was it
noun
-
(in children's games) the player whose turn it is to try to touch another Compare he 1
-
informal
-
sexual intercourse
-
sex appeal
-
-
informal a desirable quality or ability
he's really got it
It.
2
British
abbreviation
-
Italian
-
Italy
IT
3
British
abbreviation
it
4
British
abbreviation
it
More Idioms
Grammar
See me.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of it1
First recorded before 900; Middle English hit, hitte, it, Old English hit, neuter of he 1
Origin of it2
First recorded in 1930–35; It(alian vermouth)
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Lambert said he had been using soil for about 10 years and painting with it "is something I've been very familiar with".
From BBC ● Nov. 11, 2026
If it seemed too ironic to be true, it was.
From Barron's ● Nov. 11, 2026
Challenged about whether he had read the Wikipedia link at the time, Cash says he had "skimmed it", adding that it described him as a judge and a provincial-level official.
From BBC ● Nov. 11, 2026
"It has been around for a long time, it has a lot of money," Smeltz said.
From Barron's ● Nov. 11, 2026
Father Julien quietly slips the diary out of its hiding place and puts it with his prayer book.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
"It is this Parliament that has been spied on," he declared.
From BBC ● Nov. 11, 2026
It has traditionally supported candidates from both the left and the right.
From Barron's ● Nov. 11, 2026
It said the loss was tied to reservation fees and other modifications to contracts for power equipment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 11, 2026
"It is MPs' offices that have been infiltrated."
From BBC ● Nov. 11, 2026
It is bridged by signaling chemicals called neurotransmitters.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
The third-phase beneficiaries of the AI buildout are companies whose revenues are enabled by the technology, such as software and IT services.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 9, 2026
Robert Martinez, a retired IT guy, stepped out of the Eagle Rock Rec Center polling place Tuesday afternoon and said he had just filled in a ballot bubble not for L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026
Last year, issues with an IT upgrade hit product availability at the supermarket and dented sales, impacting its bottom line.
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026
“Supermicro’s transformation into a Total AI and IT Datacenter Solution provider continues to accelerate,” Chief Executive Officer Charles Liang said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026
IT must be the same as going to the moon, crossing the interior of Alaska by dog team.
From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen
Over the counter, another sign cheekily warns: “Don’t Try It. You Won’t Like It.”
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026
When the apartment finally went quiet, I opened my Notes app and typed: “You. Can. Have. It. All.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2025
Its "See It. Say It. Sorted." campaign was launched in 2016 and then relaunched last year, encouraging the public to report "anything unusual", either to station staff or to British Transport Police.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2025
“Let. It. Go,” wrote The Sentinel on April 2 in an editorial, referring to the popular song from the Disney movie “Frozen.”
From New York Times ● Apr. 17, 2023
“Love it. Love. It. This is exactly what we need for our first scene today.”
From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon
Berry wrote that this would happen as long as the West "continued to show signals that they are willing to work together".
From BBC ● Nov. 11, 2026
NGO Finance Watch said the proposal on dark patterns goes "in the right direction, but they lack ambition to sufficiently protect consumers in financial services".
From Barron's ● Nov. 11, 2026
Many in Parliament still think they were spies.
From BBC ● Nov. 11, 2026
"With global prices what they are, that's a significant amount of money."
From Barron's ● Nov. 11, 2026
American officers assure Father Monaghan and others that they are more than ready to deal with Japan.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
The Nairobi County disaster management chief, Bramwell Simiyu tells the BBC that drainage systems have been "untouched for many years" and that removing the rubbish from them will save lives.
From BBC ● Nov. 11, 2026
“It would also destroy your business,” he told them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 11, 2026
Although the trove of messages shows him discussing sensitive topics, there is no evidence in them that Cash was paid by, or sympathetic to, the Chinese Communist Party.
From BBC ● Nov. 11, 2026
He pointed to "a lot of collaboration" between them.
From Barron's ● Nov. 10, 2026
Fingers bleeding, we pluck the sharp, pointy, sticky bolls, stuff them into sacks, then press them into bales and bind them with cord.
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
One message recounted views allegedly expressed in private by Britain's then-ambassador to China, Dame Caroline Wilson, during a discussion with the CRG about its work on China's influence on UK universities.
From BBC ● Nov. 11, 2026
The news soothed worries about the company's health after suffering heavy selling last month amid speculation that it could struggle to finance its vast debt pile as borrowing costs continued to rise.
From Barron's ● Nov. 11, 2026
Jennifer Robinson, from Abingdon-based Oxford Wood Recycling, said looking after the environment was "at the heart" of its work.
From BBC ● Nov. 11, 2026
Myanmar imports 90 percent of its fuel oil, official figures show, making it particularly vulnerable to supply issues caused by the US-Israeli war on Iran.
From Barron's ● Nov. 11, 2026
Each hemisphere has its own frontal, parietal, occipital, and temporal lobes.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
Both men were charged with espionage but consistently maintained their innocence.
From BBC ● Nov. 11, 2026
Oil prices edged up after sinking again Tuesday on hopes for a US-Iran agreement to end their war and reopen the crucial Strait of Hormuz.
From Barron's ● Nov. 11, 2026
As one woman in Pennsylvania told me, “I don’t think it’s something that a regular person can quit on their own.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 11, 2026
It was to be their final face-to-face conversation.
From BBC ● Nov. 11, 2026
Here two human nerve cells show off their intricate network of axon terminals and dendrites.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
Solea Pfeiffer and Liisi LaFontaine star in the Broadway show about the lengths people are willing to go to protect their family and claim what is rightfully theirs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026
Our next-door neighbors have been in theirs for 19 years, and for most of that time we thought of ourselves as friends rather than just neighbors.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 25, 2026
So it was about honoring theirs while making it my own as well.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
“No mayor has retained the same police commissioner from the administration prior to theirs since 1964,” she said, referring to Tisch, who was elevated under the previous mayor, Eric Adams.
From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026
Child 1 puts their left hand in, 2 put theirs on top, 3 and 4 continue the pattern.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
