it
noun · adjective
Simple meaning
Someone who is neither a he nor a she.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
itIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈɪt
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
One who is neither a he nor a she; a creature; a dehumanized being.
The person who chases and tries to catch the other players in the playground game of tag.
A biological force that inhabits living beings, according to the vitalist approach of Georg Groddeck.
Alternative letter-case form of it ("desirable quality; quality of being successful, fashionable, in vogue").
informal
A desirable characteristic, as being fashionable.
Alternative letter-case form of It ("force in the vitalist approach of Georg Groddeck").
adjective
colloquial
Most fashionable, popular, or in vogue.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A1 · Beginner
- Frequency
- Very Common
- Typical Use
- General English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: One who is neither a he nor a she; a creature; a dehumanized being.
Used this way, it is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use it
- “She studied IT to prepare for a career managing computer networks.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
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What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Related Learning
Guides that use this word in context.
Quick Lessons
Its vs. It’s: The Apostrophe Rule That Trips Everyone Up
A simple, lasting way to remember the difference between its and it's, with examples and a foolproof substitution test.
Vocabulary
Why You Know a Word but Can’t Remember It
The science behind tip-of-the-tongue moments, why the word feels so close, and practical steps for recovering it faster.
Grammar
Its vs. It’s: The Apostrophe Rule That Trips Everyone Up
A simple, reliable way to choose between its and it’s every time, with examples, a memory trick and a short quiz.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.