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Definitions

it

[it] / ɪt /
PRONOUN
nominative singular pronoun
Synonyms


PRONOUN
objective singular pronoun
Synonyms


Frequently Asked Questions

What is another word for it?
The pronoun it is commonly used to refer to something without naming it. The plural pronoun they can be used to refer to multiple things in this way, as can the object form them. The word it is sometimes used to refer to an animal, and in some cases it can refer to an unknown person, such as when someone knocks on the door and you ask “Who is it?” (Otherwise, though, referring to a person as it for any reason is extremely offensive.) Most commonly, it is used to refer to things. Like the word thing, the word it is usually the one being used in place of a more specific word. But there are other general terms you can use instead. It can refer to anything—it can refer to physical objects or articles but also to nonphysical entities. The word item can be used for tangible things (as in That item is sold out) or intangible ones (as in Let’s save that item for the next agenda). The words this and that can be used in place of it when referring to something that’s near, understood, or previously mentioned or indicated. They can also be used for emphasis. For example, instead of asking “What is it?” about some unidentifiable thing, you could ask “What is that?” It is also very commonly used to introduce sentences that use a form of the verb be, especially statements about time (as in It’s five o’clock), distance (as in It is five miles away), or the weather (as in It was raining this morning). It is also commonly used in many similar constructions (such as in phrases like How’s it going? or Where does it hurt?). All of these can often be reworded to avoid using it, as in The time is five o’clock or There was rain this morning. However, constructions using it are often the most natural-sounding. It is also used in some more specific ways. In the children’s game of tag, the word it is used to refer to the person designated as the tagger, as in Tag, you’re it! When a person is said to have “it,” this means that they possess some unique characteristic (often charisma)—sometimes known as the it factor. A girl (or, more often, a woman) who is newly popular in a certain arena might be called the it girl, as in She’s the new it girl in fashion.  When capitalized, IT is a common abbreviation for information technology, which is sometimes also shortened as infotech. Another name for the IT department is the tech department.
Is it a pronoun?
Yes, it is a pronoun. The singular subject (nominative) and object form are both it. However, the plural subject form is they and the plural object form is them. The possessive form is its.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

AI has come under intense scrutiny in recent days following warnings over the serious potential risks it poses to humans.

From BBC Sep. 17, 2026

On the ground, it isn’t going according to plan.

From The Wall Street Journal Sep. 17, 2026

Once the State Department completes it review, there are still several legal steps before extradition can be permitted.

From BBC Sep. 17, 2026

“They’re not fading,” she said, in part because the war has outlasted forecasts that it would end by August since forecasters assumed the alternative would be too damaging to the economy.

From The Wall Street Journal Sep. 17, 2026

Her strength has been inconsistent in the years since her diagnosis, but at that moment, it is back full force.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

The US State Department, which received the requests last week, will review the extradition applications to make sure they comply with the existing agreement between the US and UK.

From BBC Sep. 17, 2026

Relatively inexpensive to make, they are evading Ukrainian air defenses and hunting down their targets more quickly than their propeller-powered predecessors.

From The Wall Street Journal Sep. 17, 2026

Environmental and public health advocates have consistently opposed new smog check waivers, noting they increase exhaust emissions such as nitrogen dioxide that are damaging to human health.

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 17, 2026

"I'll suggest to people that they might want to avoid caffeine after about 2pm if they are going to bed around 10pm," she says.

From BBC Sep. 17, 2026

They smuggled shortwave radios into the hills so they could listen to overseas reports, which they would transcribe into their articles.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

Kyiv’s portable surface-to-air missiles and fixed-site air-defense batteries are also hunting them down.

From The Wall Street Journal Sep. 17, 2026

To intercept them, Ukraine is using combat aircraft, including F-16s.

From The Wall Street Journal Sep. 17, 2026

The incidents included the models generating instructions to get around restrictions imposed on them, hiding mistakes and fabricating information.

From BBC Sep. 17, 2026

"I thought this lady needs one of my kidneys more than I need two of them," said Gary.

From BBC Sep. 16, 2026

Luckily, her boat is faster than the pirates, and she keeps ahead of them all the way to Hagonoy, nine miles from Calumpit, where the Thirty-Seventh Division waits for the map.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

In the blog, OpenAI detailed examples of its AI models misbehaving so they could achieve a task or succeed in a test.

From BBC Sep. 17, 2026

In a speech at the European Parliament with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in attendance, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Europe needed to tighten its cooperation with like-minded democracies, in particular Canada.

From The Wall Street Journal Sep. 17, 2026

Dunham has written extensively about her experience with endometriosis and its impact on her plans to have a family.

From BBC Sep. 17, 2026

Anthropic had also raced ahead of OpenAI, previously the undisputed leader, when its Claude coding tool caught fire.

From The Wall Street Journal Sep. 17, 2026

The brain swells, but the skull stays the same size; a swollen brain can jam itself so tightly it will cut off its own blood supply.

From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman

Applications must go through the US Justice Department which will in turn forward it to the court, where the final decision on their extradition will be made.

From BBC Sep. 17, 2026

The economic war in the Persian Gulf is dictated as much by how much the countries in the region can move their exports over land rather than through the Strait of Hormuz.

From The Wall Street Journal Sep. 17, 2026

And assuming collectors can get their car to an appropriate testing location, there’s no promise it will pass.

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 17, 2026

"This cloak-and-dagger act speaks to the deception behind these accusations and to their weakness," he added.

From BBC Sep. 17, 2026

It was an unmanageable situation, but the Daughters of Charity were relentless in their efforts to make Carville a clean, respectable, and renowned site for the treatment of leprosy.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

And here, Walker and Auen offer theirs, fashioning academia into a key that opens a portal to the past, present and future.

From Salon Sep. 7, 2026

On 4 August 170 people had to be rescued after theirs caught fire in the middle of the Channel.

From BBC Sep. 3, 2026

“Ballots are an extension of our voices and we’re asking the court to ensure that every person has the right to make theirs heard.”

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 26, 2026

They likely won’t be too pleased if Nvidia also uses its chips to create and deploy cheaper open-weight models that compete with theirs.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 25, 2026

They were getting closer to each other in that connected way of theirs, as if trying to make up their minds.

From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall




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