Meanings
its1
alternative it's
- Belonging to it.First known use 16th c.
The Chinese government is at war with its own people.
1989 June 5, Jasper Becker, John Gittings, The Guardian5 more examples
The manner wherewith our Lawes assay to moderate the foolish and vaine expences of table-cheare and apparell, seemeth contrarie to it's end.
1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 43, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book I, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLCsince I have been at the Pains to write it, if he consents to it's being published I will follow my Friend's Advice, and chiefly yours.
1751, G. Burnett, translated by Thomas More, UtopiaThat which groweth of its own accord of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, neither gather the grapes of thy vine undressed: for it is a year of rest unto the land. (originally "of it own accord" in the 1611 first edition)
1763, Authorized King James Version of the Bible, Oxford Standard Text, Leviticus 25:5They descended the hill, crossed the bridge, and drove to the door; and, while examining the nearer aspect of the house, all her apprehensions of meeting its owner returned.
1813, Jane Austen, Pride and PrejudiceNara and its deer are so closely associated that the light-brown colored animals are pictured in the city’s tourism ads, on buses, train tickets and more.
2024 July 23, Lilit Marcus, “Japan may be sick of mass tourism. But the deer in this ancient UNESCO-listed city love it”, in CNN
alternative it's
- The one (or ones) belonging to it.First known use 17th c.
… both Houses have resolved to rob the North of a good friend of its and yours.
1645, Philip Wharton, 4th Baron Wharton, Letter to Ferdinando Fairfax, 6 February 16452 more examples
EBay Canada argued in court that the data sought by tax collectors was not its to give.
2007 October 1, Ian Austen, “Canadian Court Opens Up eBay Data to Tax Agency”, in New York Times...the Board of Trade of Chicago can at least feel that it has played its part manfully and patriotically, and that no act of its has stood in the way of National victory.
1917, Charles Henry Taylor, History of the Board of Trade of the City of Chicago, volume 2, page 1259
its2
- contractionobsoleteObsolete spelling of it's.
As for the main bulk of Palaces, its true ſome have a greatneſs in plainneſs, […]
1662, Balthazar Gerbier, A Brief Discourse Concerning the Three Chief Principles of Magnificent Building. Viz. Solidity, Conveniency, and Ornament., London, page 371 more example
The Fleſh of man, becauſe its Nouriſhed by purer Blood, is delicater than the fleſh of other Creatures, and prefered before it by Canibals, or Man-Eaters.
1665, Johannes Riolanus, translated by Nich[olas] Culpeper, “The Division of Mans Body”, in A Sure Guide or, The Best and Nearest Way to Physick and Chirurgery: […] (The Physitian’s Library), London: […] Peter Cole […], →OCLC, page 31
its3
- pluralplural of it
ITS4
- abbreviationinitialismcomputingInitialism of issue tracking system.
- abbreviationinitialismtransportInitialism of intelligent transportation system.
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
its · determiner, pronoun
Equivalent to it + -s (possessive marker). From the earlier form it's (it + -'s), which is now considered nonstandard. Began to displace his as the possessive of the neuter pronoun in the Middle English period; had fully displaced it by the 1700s.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek αὐτοῦ, αὐτῆς
- αὐτοῦ (autoû)belonging to it
- αὐτῆς (autês)belonging to it
- αὐτοῦ (autoû)belonging to it
Bulgarian не́гов, не́ин
- не́гов (négov)belonging to it
- не́ин (néin)belonging to it
- не́гов (négov)that which belongs to it
- не́ин (néin)that which belongs to it
Catalan seu, seu
- seubelonging to it
- seuthat which belongs to it
Czech jeho, jeho
- jehobelonging to it
- jehothat which belongs to it
Danish dens, dets
- densbelonging to it
- detsbelonging to it
- densthat which belongs to it
- detsthat which belongs to it
Dutch zijn, haar
- zijnbelonging to it
- haarbelonging to it
Esperanto ĝia, ties
- ĝiabelonging to it
- tiesbelonging to it
- ĝiathat which belongs to it
Finnish sen, sen
- senbelonging to it
- senthat which belongs to it
French son, sa
- sonbelonging to it
- sabelonging to it
- sesbelonging to it
- le sienthat which belongs to it
- la siennethat which belongs to it
- les siensthat which belongs to it
- les siennesthat which belongs to it
German sein, ihr
- seinbelonging to it
- ihrbelonging to it
- seinthat which belongs to it
- ihrthat which belongs to it
Greek δικός του, δικιά του
- δικός του (dikós tou)that which belongs to it
- δικιά του (dikiá tou)that which belongs to it
- δική του (dikí tou)that which belongs to it
- δικό του (dikó tou)that which belongs to it
- δικοί του (dikoí tou)that which belongs to it
- δικές του (dikés tou)that which belongs to it
- δικά του (diká tou)that which belongs to it
Hawaiian kona, kāna
- konabelonging to it
- kānabelonging to it
Hungarian -a, -e
- -abelonging to it
- -ebelonging to it
- -jabelonging to it
- -jebelonging to it
- övéthat which belongs to it
- azéthat which belongs to it
Icelandic þess
- þessbelonging to it
Irish a
- athat which belongs to it
Italian suo
- suobelonging to it
Latin eius, suī
- eiusbelonging to it
- suībelonging to it
- suaebelonging to it
- suusthat which belongs to it
- eiusthat which belongs to it
- huiusthat which belongs to it
- illiusthat which belongs to it
Norwegian Bokmål dens, dets
- densbelonging to it
- detsbelonging to it
Polish tego, jego
- tegobelonging to it
- jegothat which belongs to it
- jejthat which belongs to it
- swójthat which belongs to it
- ówthat which belongs to it
Portuguese seu, sua
- seubelonging to it
- suabelonging to it
- delebelonging to it
- delabelonging to it
- seuthat which belongs to it
- delethat which belongs to it
- delathat which belongs to it
Russian его́, её
- его́ (jevó)belonging to it
- её (jejó)belonging to it
- свой (svoj)belonging to it
- его́ (jevó)that which belongs to it
- её (jejó)that which belongs to it
- свой (svoj)that which belongs to it
Spanish su, sus
- subelonging to it
- susbelonging to it
- de élbelonging to it
- de ellabelonging to it
- de ellobelonging to it
- del mismobelonging to it
- de la mismabelonging to it
- suyothat which belongs to it
- de élthat which belongs to it
- de ellathat which belongs to it
- de ellothat which belongs to it
- del mismothat which belongs to it
- de la mismathat which belongs to it
Swedish dess, dess
- dessbelonging to it
- dessthat which belongs to it
Tamil அதன், அதனுடைய
- அதன் (ataṉ)belonging to it
- அதனுடைய (ataṉuṭaiya)belonging to it
- இதன் (itaṉ)belonging to it
- இதனுடைய (itaṉuṭaiya)belonging to it
- அதனுடையது (ataṉuṭaiyatu)that which belongs to it
- இதனுடையது (itaṉuṭaiyatu)that which belongs to it
Turkish onun, onun
- onunbelonging to it
- onunthat which belongs to it
Ukrainian його́, її́
- його́ (johó)belonging to it
- її́ (jijí)belonging to it
- свій (svij)belonging to it
Zulu -wo, -lo
- -wobelonging to it
- -lobelonging to it
- -sobelonging to it
- -yobelonging to it
- -lobelonging to it
- -bobelonging to it
- -khobelonging to it
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with its
All rhymes →Sounds the same
Anagrams
Cite this entry
its. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/its
“its.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/its. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “its,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/its.
Source: its on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.