's
1 of 3verb
same as -'s
1
a
: is
she's here
b
: was
when's the last time you ate?
2
: has
he's seen them
3
: does
what's he want?
's
2 of 3pronoun
s
: us —used with let
let's
-'s
3 of 3noun suffix or pronoun suffix
s,
after voiceless consonants other than s,
sh,
ch;
z,
after vowels and voiced consonants other than z,
zh,
j;
əz,
after s,
sh,
ch,
z,
zh,
j
—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
Kids Definition
-'s
noun suffix or pronoun suffix
—used to form the possessive of singular nouns
elephant's
, of plural nouns not ending in s children's
, and of some pronouns anyone's