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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

its it's

Silver’s sharper price decline than gold reflects its “greater volatility, exposure to industrial demand, and the unwinding of earlier speculative enthusiasm,” said Ryan McIntyre, president of Sprott.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 17, 2026

But clients have continued to ask to withdraw their money, and its stock recently dipped to near all-time lows—bad news for employees’ stock-based pay.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026

Tesla does not have a good track record of meeting its own deadlines.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026

Silver can be seen as hybrid leading indicator because of its dual role as a monetary precious metal and an industrial commodity.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 17, 2026

With this information, the government keeps track of the disease, hoping to prevent its spread.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

There’s a relatively off-the-radar commodity that can provide hints on where the economy is headed — and it’s seen its value drop more than 50% from a record high earlier this year.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 17, 2026

Then again, it’s tough to compete for attention when Musk’s rocket vapor-cloud filled the air and the Roadster did flips through the sky.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026

While Boucher said it’s best not to bring dogs, the occurrence of missing pets is “very common.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026

We know it’s ho-hum to observe that there’s too much money in campaigns.

From Slate ● Oct. 17, 2026

I guess you could say it’s my fault.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

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