's

1 of 3

verb

same as -'s

: is

she's here

: was

when's the last time you ate?

: has

he's seen them

: does

what's he want?

2 of 3

pronoun

: us

—used with let

let's

-'s

3 of 3

noun suffix or pronoun suffix

after voiceless consonants other than s,

sh,

ch;

after vowels and voiced consonants other than z,

zh,

əz,

after s,

sh,

ch,

zh,

—used to form the possessive of singular nouns

boy's

, of plural nouns not ending in s

children's

, of some pronouns

anyone's

, and of word groups functioning as nouns

the man in the corner's hat

or pronouns

someone else's

Word History

Etymology

Verb

contraction of is, has, does

Pronoun

by contraction

Noun suffix or pronoun suffix

Middle English -es, -s, genitive singular ending, from Old English -es; akin to Old High German -es, genitive singular ending, Greek -oio, -ou, Sanskrit -asya

First Known Use

Verb

1584, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Pronoun

1588, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of 's was in 1584

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“'s.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/%27s. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

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Kids Definition

1 of 3 verb

like -'s