Pronunciations (10)
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/ɪt/
Pronunciation notes
- Australia
- General-American
- Received-Pronunciation
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/ɘt/
Pronunciation notes
- New-Zealand
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/ɪt/
Pronunciation notes
- Received-Pronunciation
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[ɪ̈t]
Pronunciation notes
- Received-Pronunciation
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[ɪt]
Pronunciation notes
- Received-Pronunciation
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/ət/
Pronunciation notes
- General-American
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[ɪ̈t]
Pronunciation notes
- General-American
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[ɪ̈ʔ]
Pronunciation notes
- General-American
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[ɪʔ]
Pronunciation notes
- Northwestern
- US
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/ət/
Pronunciation notes
- Australia
Pronoun
The third-person singular neuter personal pronoun used to refer to an inanimate object, abstract entity, or non-human living thing.
- Examples
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Take this book and put it on the shelf.
Take each day as it comes.
More examples (3)
I found a poor little cat. It seems to be half starving.
It is not a pen. It is a book.
The Nansi District was formerly known as the "Jiaba Community", and was one of the early territories of the Taivoan, as well as where the Zou resided. Later, due to the invasion of the Siraya tribe, the community members later migrated out to regions such as Gongguan, Paoziliao (Kaohsiung County), and Daciouyuan. During the time of the Japanese occupation, because of its location at the west of the "Nanzihsian River", it was therefore renamed Nansi ("si" meaning "west"). A village and village hall were established here, under the governance of Sinhua District of Tainan Province. After the war in 1945, it was renamed Nansi Township, and was changed to Nansi District after the merging of Tainan City and County on December 25th, 2010.
A third-person singular personal pronoun used to refer to a baby or child, especially of unknown gender.
- Examples
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She took the baby and held it in her arms.
More examples (2)
A child cannot quarrel with its elders, as I had done; cannot give its furious feelings uncontrolled play, as I had given mine, without experiencing afterwards the pang of remorse and the chill of reaction.
I could only encourage Mrs. Clements to speak next of Anne's early days […] "There was nobody else, sir, to take the little helpless creature in hand," replied Mrs. Clements. "The wicked mother seemed to hate it—as if the poor baby was in fault!—from the day it was born. My heart was heavy for the child, and I made the offer to bring it up as tenderly as if it was my own." "Did Anne remain entirely under your care from that time?" "Not quite entirely, sir. Mrs. Catherick had her whims and fancies about it at times, and used now and then to lay claim to the child, as if she wanted to spite me for bringing it up.
The sky was dripping. Like a tap that a child has tried its hardest to turn off but hasn't quite managed.
A third-person singular pronoun used to refer to an unspecified person.
Usage- Rare
- Examples
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More examples (1)
All these things inclined her, step by step, to submit to the new discovery, whether Queen Victoria's or another's, that each man and each woman has another allotted to it for life, whom it supports, by whom it is supported, till death them do part.
She had never seen that each human being was different, would react differently, had its own peculiar idiosyncrasies.
An affectionate third-person singular personal pronoun.
Usage- Obsolete
- Examples
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More examples (3)
"[…] It's my belief that you don't know your own mind." "I don't, dear," said Hulda, nestling to him. "Why, what a puss it is!" cried Sir Philip, kissing her tenderly.
1897, Olive Pratt Rayner (Grant Allen), The Type-Writer Girl She caught my eye, and laughed. “What a funny girl it is!” she cried. “You are so comical! But it isn't the least use your trying to frighten me. I can see the twinkle in your big black eyes; and I like you in spite of your trying to be horrid. Do you know, I liked you from the first moment I saw you.”
WILLIAM: You don't like me better? CLARA: Indeed I do. WILLIAM (laughing): Well, what a dear girl it is. CLARA (flinging her arms around his neck with suddenly disclosed passion): Oh, I do love you!
A third-person singular personal pronoun used to refer to an animate referent who is transgender or non-binary.
Usage- Derogatory
- Offensive
- Examples
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More examples (4)
1977-1980, Lou Sullivan, personal diary, quoted in 2019, Ellis Martin, Zach Ozma (editors), We Both Laughed In Pleasure Next morning bought her [a drag queen] breakfast & she asked for a couple dollars to get a drink. Gave her $3, walked her to a bar. […] Some teenage boys watched us walking & began shouting. When I left her at the bar door & kissed her goodbye, they began shouting "Ugh! You kissed it!!"
"Oh, don't be silly. I am neither male nor female. I'm a farfel." […] "It. Refer to me as an it." "That seems pretty rude," I said nervously. "Not as rude as calling me a he or a she," it said.
The individual known as Maia Arson Crimew was born as Tillie Kottmann on 7 August 1999 in Lucerne, Switzerland. Kottmann/Crimew has expressed on its website a desire to be referred to by ‘it’ pronouns (Crimew 2021), so this article will interchangeably refer to it by its preferred terms as either ‘Maia Arson Crimew’ or ‘it’. Crimew is a well-known figure among hacking and cybersecurity circles. It has either taken credit for or been attributed to hacks from several major multinational corporations, including […]
According to the lawsuit, he showed Richards' picture in several weekly meetings, misgendering her, and telling employees to watch out for "him or it or whatever it is."
Refers to someone being identified, often on the phone, but not limited to this situation.
- Examples
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It's me, John.
Somebody wanted a drink, didn't they? Who was it?
More examples (1)
It is I, your king.
The impersonal pronoun, used without referent as the subject of an impersonal verb or statement (known as the dummy pronoun, dummy it or weather it).
- Examples
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It is nearly 10 o’clock.
It’s 10:45.
More examples (4)
It’s very cold today.
It’s lonely here without you.
It seems so.
It blew all night.
The impersonal pronoun, used without referent, or with unstated but contextually implied referent, in various short idioms or expressions.
- Examples
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rough it
live it up
More examples (1)
stick it out
The impersonal pronoun, used without referent, or with unstated but contextually implied referent, in various short idioms or expressions. Referring to a desirable quality or ability, or quality of being successful, fashionable or in vogue.
- Examples
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After all these years, she still has it.
More examples (1)
Later that night, a friend told Brady, “Still got it.” “Never lost it,” he replied. THAT WAS MOSTLY TRUE. But the 2013 season ended with the Patriots coaches wondering whether Brady's skills were in a subtle but irrevocable decline […]
The impersonal pronoun, used without referent, or with unstated but contextually implied referent, in various short idioms or expressions. Referring to sexual intercourse or other sexual activity.
- Examples
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I caught them doing it.
Are you getting it regularly?
More examples (2)
Is man really the only animal who does "it" face to face?
The great advantage of English public school life lies of course in the quality of tutelage it provides. Adrian had received a decent and broad English education in the area of his loins. […] He had quickly happened upon the truth which many lonely contemporaries would never discover, the truth that everybody, simply everybody, was panting for it and could, with patience, be shown that they were panting for it. So Adrian grabbed what was to hand and had the time of his life genitally – focusing exclusively on his own gender of course, for this was 1973 and girls had not yet been invented.
Sex appeal, especially that which goes beyond physical appearance.
Usage- Uncountable
- Examples
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'Tisn't beauty, so to speak, nor good talk necessarily. It's just It. Some women'll stay in a man's memory if they once walked down a street
And she had It. It, hell; she had Those.
The impersonal pronoun, used as a placeholder for a delayed subject, or less commonly, object; known as the dummy pronoun (according to some definitions), anticipatory it or, more formally in linguistics, a syntactic expletive. The delayed subject is commonly a to-infinitive, a gerund, or a noun clause introduced by a subordinating conjunction.
- Examples
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It’s not worth talking to you.
It is easy to see how she would think that.
More examples (7)
"I know now!" said I. "I have seen this in your face a long while." "No; have you really, my dear?" said he. "What a Dame Durden it is to read a face!"
It was felt that I'd be the right man for the job.
I find it odd that you would say that.
It is hard seeing you so sick.
He saw to it that everyone would vote for him.
It is not clear if the report was true.
She made it clear what she expected by the weekend, which made it a problem to juggle her and other customers' jobs at the same time.
All or the end; something after which there is no more.
- Examples
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Are there more students in this class, or is this it?
That's it—I'm not going to any more candy stores with you.
Followed by an omitted and understood relative pronoun: That which; what.
Usage- Obsolete
- Examples
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In briefe, I am content, and what should providence add more? Surely this is it [= it which] wee call Happinesse, and this doe I enjoy [...].
Determiner
Its.
Usage- Obsolete
- Examples
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More examples (1)
That which groweth of it owne accord of thy haruest, thou ſhalt not reape, neither gather the grapes of thy Uine vndreſſed: for it is a yeere of reſt vnto the land.
Noun
One who is neither a he nor a she; a creature; a dehumanized being.
- Examples
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More examples (1)
His master glanced up quickly, and removed the letter from his hands. "I'm surprised at you, James," he remarked severely. "A secretary should control itself. Don't forget that the perfect secretary is an it: an automatic machine—a thing incapable of feeling.…"
Too often, children become an "it" in their homes and their humanness is devalued.
The person who chases and tries to catch the other players in the playground game of tag.
- Examples
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In the next game, Adam and Tom will be it…
Tag, you're it!
More examples (2)
When you play hi-spy, and are “it,” and want to know where the others have hid, take a stick and put it up on end and let it fall. If it falls three times in the same direction, that shows you the way to go to find the hiders.
When there are only two children left who haven't been tagged, I will stop the game, and we will start over with those children starting as the Its.
A game of tag.
Usage- UK usage
- Examples
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Let's play it at breaktime.
A desirable characteristic, as being fashionable.
Usage- Informal
- Examples
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Man, he's really got it.
She's the it girl, at least for this Fall.
Something desirable or suitable.
Usage- Informal
- in the negative
- Examples
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Bro, that shirt is not it.
Sexual intercourse.
Usage- Informal
- Examples
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OMG, they were doing it in the storage room.
Sex appeal.
Usage- Informal
- Examples
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She really has it going on.
Adjective
Most fashionable, popular, or in vogue.
Usage- Colloquial
- not-comparable
- Examples
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Going away for the weekend and feel the need to profile en route? This is the "it" bag.
With Hit Girl, Moretz is this year's It Girl, alternately sweet, savage and scary.
More examples (2)
These Italian made sneakers quickly became an it shoe and the trend is not going anywhere any time soon!
(Our culture's “it”-novelist, Sally Rooney, is instead tellingly God-obsessed.)