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

The Seattle coffee giant said Thursday that it would close 250 locations, or 1% of its more than 18,000 North American stores.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026

After several years of development and testing in Texas, SpaceX began flying the rocket in its full configuration in 2023, deliberately following suborbital trajectories, which are safer and less challenging.

From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026

Northern Star has assured investors it is working to address concerns about its operational performance.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

LAFC, mired in a slump having won just two of its last 13 games in all competition, fired first-year coach Marc Dos Santos on Sunday with six matches left in the MLS regular season.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026

She wanted the universe to reveal all its secrets to her.”

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

For the activists at Pro Animal DC, who are seeking to emulate places like California and Pittsburgh that have enacted laws against foie gras, it's about fighting animal cruelty.

From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026

“I think it’s going to have to be much, much more painful.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

To reach the necessary altitude and speed, "the rocket has to do different things when it's experiencing different levels of gravity," she told AFP.

From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026

“Really, it’s just picking each other up,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026

“I’m almost done. But it’s not due until the end of next week,” Arlo argues.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold