Our: Definition, Usage, and Examples

Meaning 1：belonging to us (our)

our 🔊

/ˈaʊər/

det.

Belongs to me and the people I am with.

Our family sharing pizza together at home

belonging to us 🔊

➕

/bɪˈlɒŋɪŋ tə ʌs/

det.

Used to indicate that something belongs to or is associated with the speaker and one or more other people.

📁 Category：Language Evolution 🔖 Level：Beginner

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Old English ūre, genitive of wē (we). Cognate with German unser.

💡 Mnemonic

Our sounds like 'hour' - we all share the same hour together.

📖 Example

Our suitcases are packed and ready to go on the family trip. 🔊 The suitcases that belong to all of us are packed and ready for the family trip.

🔗 Collocations

our home – the house that belongs to us

our team – the group we belong to

our country – the nation we are citizens of

🔄 Synonyms

ours (pron.) – the one or the ones belonging to us (used in place of a noun)

belonging to us (phrase) – a phrasal equivalent of 'our'

🚫 Antonyms

their (det.) – belonging to or associated with the people previously mentioned

his (det.) – belonging to or associated with a male person

her (det.) – belonging to or associated with a female person

🌱 Derivatives

ours (pron.) – the one or ones belonging to us

ourselves (pron.) – used as the object of a verb or preposition when the subject is 'we', or for emphasis

📖 Cultural Story

The word 'our' has been used since Old English times as the possessive form of 'we'. It is one of the most fundamental determiners in English, indicating shared ownership or association.