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

This is already its worst year on record, according to the European Forest Fire Information System.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

Japan's defence minister paid his respects Saturday at a shrine honouring the country's war dead that has long dogged Tokyo's relations with its Asian neighbours, but Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stayed away.

From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026

In 2019, ahead of the 25th anniversary of “All That,” Knowings spoke with Bustle about the way the show was ahead of its time.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026

These days, its own mathematical ability is just about the only thing that AI is miscalculating.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

Anyone who ever lost a cat never understood the cat was probably still around, just prowling in another part of its territory.

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

This week: The Treasury Department announced it’s killing an anti-corruption measure that requires shell companies to identify their beneficiaries.

From Slate ● Aug. 15, 2026

"Emergency surgery must remain at the Causeway Hospital and it should be built up, not run down and that is my position and it's not for negotiation."

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

“Obviously it’s a team that we’re chasing. But it’s not the end-all, be-all regardless of how this series plays out. But it’s something that we’ve looked forward to. It’s a really good team over there.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026

"And this is the lowest, the craziest level it's ever reached."

From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026

But I could be wrong; it’s a quick glance.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold