it
1
[ it ]
/ ɪt /
pronoun, nominative it, possessive its or (Obsolete or Dialect) it, objective it; plural nominative they, possessive their or theirs, objective them.
noun
(in children's games) the player called upon to perform some task, as, in tag, the one who must catch the other players.
Slang.
- sex appeal.
- sexual intercourse.
Idioms for it
Origin of it
1
before 900; Middle English, variant of Middle English, Old English
hit, neuter of
he1
usage note for it
See
me.
Words nearby it
Definition for it (2 of 6)
it
2
[ it ]
/ ɪt /
noun British Informal.
sweet vermouth: gin and it.
Origin of it
2
1930–35;
It(alian vermouth)
Definition for it (3 of 6)
Definition for it (4 of 6)
Definition for it (5 of 6)
Definition for it (6 of 6)
it's
[ its ]
/ ɪts /
contraction of it is: It's starting to rain.
contraction of it has: It's been a long time.
usage note for it's
See
contraction.
British Dictionary definitions for it (1 of 5)
it
1
/ (ɪt) /
pronoun (subjective or objective)
noun
Word Origin for it
Old English
hit
British Dictionary definitions for it (2 of 5)
it
2
the internet domain name for
Italy
British Dictionary definitions for it (3 of 5)
IT
abbreviation for
information technology
British Dictionary definitions for it (4 of 5)
It.
abbreviation for
Italian
Italy
British Dictionary definitions for it (5 of 5)
it's
/ (ɪts) /
contraction of
it is or it has
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 .
Idioms and Phrases with it
it