(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.
(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.
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.
Italian.
Italy.
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
(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
Italian
Italy
See me.
First recorded before 900; Middle English hit, hitte, it, Old English hit, neuter of he 1
First recorded in 1930–35; It(alian vermouth)
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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What is it? and I shout loud enough for Devon to hear me up in Heaven, I GET IT!
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Both sides seize him as proof of their belief.
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But because other people frequently change theirs, earlier ones pop up.
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"Machines cannot read our tacit knowledge and we cannot read theirs," he writes.
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In fact, my opinion may be better than theirs, because as a layman I react to art in a direct, straightforward fashion, without having my view obstructed by a lot of complicated theories.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
