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This shows grade level based on the word’s complexity.
pronoun
the possessive form of it1 (used as an attributive adjective): The book has lost its jacket. I’m sorry about its being so late.
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Origin of its
1590–1600; earlier it’s, equivalent to it1 + ‘s2
words often confused with its
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.
usage note for its
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.
WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH its
it’s, its (see confusables note at the current entry)
Words nearby its
it never rains but it pours, Ito, -itol, I told you so, itr, its, it’s about time, it’s all downhill, it’s all good, it’s all over with, it’s all relative
Other definitions for its (2 of 2)
contraction of it is:It’s starting to rain.
contraction of it has: It’s been a long time.
usage note for it’s
words often confused with it’s
WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH it’s
it’s , its (see confusables note at its)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
ITS VS. IT’S
What’s the difference between its and it’s?
Its is the possessive form of the pronoun it—it means belonging to it. It’s is a contraction of it is or it has—meaning that it’s a combination of the two words, making it shorter to say.
The confusing part is that possession is often indicated by an apostrophe and the letter s (’s), as in That is Mike’s car or Is this anyone’s jacket? But some possessive pronouns—including hers, theirs, and its—just add s on the end, without an apostrophe. Its is the most potentially confusing because it is very commonly used with the verb is (unlike her and their, which are never used with is because they are never used as subjects).
As a possessive, its is typically applied to animals or objects in discussion of their parts or qualities, as in This container is missing its lid or Look at that bird—its beak is so long!
If you can substitute it is for the word you’re using, then you want it’s. Remember, the apostrophe part of the contraction is really standing in for the letter i in the word is.
Here’s an example of its and it’s used correctly in the same sentence.
Example: Have you seen my suitcase? It’s¹ black and its² zipper is red and it’s³ got a ton of stuff in it.
1 = It is
2 = possessive
3 = it has
Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between its and it’s.
Quiz yourself on its vs. it’s!
Should its or it’s be used in the following sentence?
The car is missing _____ front tires.
Words related to its
How to use its in a sentence
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Many people have already written off ‘American Idol’ as a past-its-prime reality TV corpse.
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The late-in-its-run success of Breaking Bad is the perfect example of that.
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One young woman had affixed Post-its to the wall reading “Welcome Home Annie!”
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Over dessert, we look through the Post-Its full of squiggly pictures.
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When Demi Moore was hospitalized last year, friends told TMZ she had seizure-like symptoms brought on by doing whip-its.
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Jack probably learned more about the Bible during that trip-its history and its heroes-than during all his former years.
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The world had nothing more to give him now except that which he had already long possessed-its honor and its love.
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Didn’t Wolfe say that he would rather have written what’s-its-name than taken Quebec?
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My heart just sank like a lump of what’s-its-name, but my whole soul went out in sympathy for her.
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Then Billings, who was already gasping like a jolly what’s-its-name, dropped upon the arm of the chair and held his side.
British Dictionary definitions for its (1 of 2)
determiner
- of, belonging to, or associated in some way with itits left rear wheel
- (as pronoun)each town claims its is the best
British Dictionary definitions for its (2 of 2)
usage for it’s
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 .
Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
It’s and its. They’re ubiquitous, and ubiquitously confused.
In theory, the rule that distinguishes the two is simple: it’s means it is or it has. The apostrophe signals that something has been removed:
It’s raining. [=It is raining.]
It’s been raining since last night. [=It has been raining since last night.]
Meanwhile, its means «of or relating to it or itself»:
Let the medicine do its job.
The door shuts on its own.
But this rule wouldn’t have worked a few centuries ago. When it appeared with an s in the early 1600s, an apostrophe was involved, and the resulting it’s meant «of or relating to itself,» as in «a house with it’s own little garden.»
This apostrophe form of the possessive remained extremely common throughout the 17th century and was used by the likes of Thomas Jefferson and Jane Austen. The version without the apostrophe only became dominant in the 18th century—probably because it’s was taking on a new role, replacing the contraction ’tis.
It would be simpler, of course, if there were only one form in use, and there’s an argument to be made for using it’s in all cases; ‘s serves both purposes just fine for nouns. In the cat’s bowl it signals possession, and in the cat’s sleeping it represents the contracted verb is.
But in current established English there is indeed a distinction between the two, and we recommend that you follow it: use it’s only when you mean it is or it has, and drop the apostrophe everywhere else.
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Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Used as a modifier before a noun.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun The possessive case of the neuter pronoun it. See it, 1 , and he I., C .
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- Possessive form of the pronoun it. See it.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- pronoun rare The one (or ones) belonging to it.
- pronoun Its is even rarer in double possessive constructions.
- noun Plural form of it.
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
[Alteration of it’s : it + –’s.]
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
From it + ‘s.
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word its.
Examples
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HIYYYOOOOOOOOOO!…enjoy the snow and dont forget to dab on some Sex Panther..its made from bits of real panther, so you know its good. idiocracyisprophecy
/Film Has Arrived at Sundance Film Festival 2010 | /Film
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I’m not sure the second screen would offer enough extra value..its like it can’t decide if its a tablet or an ereader.
CES 2010 E-Reader Roundup
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Thinkofwhy…there is power in NUMBERS..and we have them out numbered…all its going to take are some cases with a high profile..a congressman/ or woman, a few actors etc… and things are going to change real soon..its already started, like a big boulder of truth going down hill..we MUST do our part and spread the word.
Part 7 – Rick Simpson’s CRUSH CANCER WITH HEMP AND TRUTH – Free Internet Seminar | TECHNOLOGY NEWS
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Intuit’s recent announcement of its intention to acquire Mint, the largest of the free online personal-finance services, portends good things for consumers — if the company can combine what’s best about Mint and its own free online product, Quicken Online.
Mint + Quicken Online = The best of both?
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But, when its your only daughter..its still scary.
Today in Fantasy: April 8, 2009
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But, when its your only daughter..its still scary.
Archive 2009-04-01
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Maybe I just have too much time on my hands today..its either surf the net or go outside and do some yard work while its almost 90 degrees..well this is fall for you in Arizona unfortunatly…
Animal Planet: Of Luck and Lucky Sweaters
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November 21, 2008 at 2:09 pm well….i know this is going to sound really gay but mr hyde and doctor jekill is like…one of my favorite books and im deeply angry that this isnt in it. its na old movie…but..its so great…really…why cant you edit the list and take out friday night lights and put in mr hyde and dr jekill?
Top 100 Movies Based On Books | The Movie Blog
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This is why it is utterly pointless for the BBC to go to all the trouble of wrapping DRM around its content — note, *its* content, not other people’s — and inconveniencing most of the online world in the process:
They Play iPlayer Content — Without the DRM
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This is why it is utterly pointless for the BBC to go to all the trouble of wrapping DRM around its content — note, *its* content, not other people’s — and inconveniencing most of the online world in the process:
Archive 2007-07-01
WiktionaryRate this definition:3.5 / 6 votes
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itspronoun
The one (or ones) belonging to it.
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itspronoun
Belonging to it.
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itspronoun
its is even rarer in double possessive constructions.
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Etymology: Contraction of ‘it is’ or ‘it has’.
Webster DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes
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Its
possessive form of the pronoun it. See It
FreebaseRate this definition:4.0 / 2 votes
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ITS
Information Technology Services
Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:3.0 / 1 vote
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Its
its, poss. pron. the possessive of it. [The old form was his, its not being older than the end of the 16th century. Its does not occur in the English Bible of 1611, or in Spenser, rarely in Shakespeare, and is not common until the time of Dryden.]
The New Hacker’s DictionaryRate this definition:2.0 / 1 vote
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ITS
1. Incompatible Time-sharing System, an influential though highly
idiosyncratic operating system written for PDP-6s and PDP-10s at MIT and
long used at the MIT AI Lab. Much AI-hacker jargon derives from ITS
folklore, and to have been ‘an ITS hacker’ qualifies one
instantly as an old-timer of the most venerable sort. ITS pioneered many
important innovations, including transparent file sharing between machines
and terminal-independent I/O. After about 1982, most actual work was
shifted to newer machines, with the remaining ITS boxes run essentially as
a hobby and service to the hacker community. The shutdown of the lab’s
last ITS machine in May 1990 marked the end of an era and sent old-time
hackers into mourning nationwide (see
high moby). There is an ITS home page. 2. A mythical image of operating-system perfection worshiped by a
bizarre, fervent retro-cult of old-time hackers and ex-users (see
troglodyte, sense 2). ITS worshipers manage somehow
to continue believing that an OS maintained by assembly-language
hand-hacking that supported only monocase 6-character filenames in one
directory per account remains superior to today’s state of commercial art
(their venom against Unix is particularly intense).
See also holy wars,
Weenix.
Editors ContributionRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes
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its
Relating to a specific known word, unit of language or definition.
Its doing accurately what it needs to so we can all live a life of unity, love, balance, respect, harmony, marriage, connectivity, abundance and prosperity for all.
Submitted by MaryC on March 21, 2020
British National Corpus
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Spoken Corpus Frequency
Rank popularity for the word ‘ITS’ in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #57
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Written Corpus Frequency
Rank popularity for the word ‘ITS’ in Written Corpus Frequency: #304
How to pronounce ITS?
How to say ITS in sign language?
Numerology
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Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of ITS in Chaldean Numerology is: 8
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Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of ITS in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3
Examples of ITS in a Sentence
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Steve Stricker:
Just made too many mistakes again, didnt make too many putts when I did have some opportunities, and youve got to have all parts of your game working here. Its a great course. It was set up tough, but a great week.
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Saeed Laylaz:
Iran is experiencing one of its worst financial times in history. The government has no money and KAA and other contractors have no financial resources, so the government’s priority for construction projects is finding foreign sources of finance.
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Ben Bland:
If it is serious about competing with China, the Biden administration needs to continue intensifying its engagement in Southeast Asia, which lies at the center of the geopolitical contest of our times.
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Jane Francis:
This is a serious science ship that required the name of a serious scientist, its name recognises all the love and esteem the British public holds for Sir David Attenborough.
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World Heritage-listed:
I want to make the point that its the best-managed reef in the world.
Popularity rank by frequency of use
Translation
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Are we missing a good definition for ITS? Don’t keep it to yourself…
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Defenition of the word its
- Belonging to it.
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