Their: Meaning, Usage, and Common Mistakes

Meaning 1：belonging to them (their)

their 🔊

/ðeər/

pron.

It shows that something belongs to a group of people or things that were mentioned before.

Three friends pointing at their belongings on a sunny park lawn

belonging to them 🔊

➕

/bɪˈlɒŋɪŋ tə ðɛm/

pron.

Used to indicate that something belongs to or is associated with a previously mentioned group of people, animals, or things.

📁 Category：Language Evolution 🔖 Level：beginner

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Old English 'þeira', genitive plural of 'þæt' (that), used as possessive.

💡 Mnemonic

Think: 'The + heir' - the heirs possess something; 'their' shows possession by a group.

📖 Example

The children happily shared their snacks with each other during the picnic. 🔊 The children happily shared their snacks with each other during the picnic.

🔗 Collocations

their own – belonging exclusively to them

their way – the manner or path chosen by them

their turn – the opportunity or time assigned to them

🔄 Synonyms

theirs (pron.) – Used to refer to something belonging to them, without a following noun.

the (art.) – Sometimes used colloquially in place of 'their' (informal).

🚫 Antonyms

our (pron.) – Belonging to us, the opposite of belonging to them.

my (pron.) – Belonging to me, contrasting with group possession.

🌱 Derivatives

theirs (pron.) – Absolute possessive form of 'they'

themselves (pron.) – Reflexive or emphatic form of 'they'

theirself (pron.) – Nonstandard reflexive form (dialectal)

📖 Cultural Story

The possessive form 'their' evolved from Old English 'þeira', replacing earlier 'heora'. It is a core element in English genitive constructions, frequently used in both formal and informal contexts to indicate group ownership.