adj. The possessive form of it. Used as a modifier before a noun: The airline canceled its early flight to New York. Usage Note: Its is the possessive form of the pronoun it and is correctly written without an apostrophe: The cat licked its paws. The contraction it's (for it is or it has) should always have an apostrophe: It's the funniest show I've seen in years. It's been three years since our last trip to Los Angeles. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.