What does ours mean?
“Ours” is a possessive pronoun used without a following noun to identify something as belonging to the speaker together with one or more other people. It can indicate literal ownership, as in “The car is ours,” but its meaning often extends to association, responsibility, preference, or availability: “That solution was ours” may imply that the speaker and colleagues developed it. The word is also used in phrases such as “one of ours” and “the best of ours.” Unlike the possessive determiner “our,” which must precede a noun, “ours” functions independently. It should not be confused with “us,” which is an objective pronoun used as the subject or object of a clause, as in “Come with us.” Although relatively formal and less common in everyday conversation than forms such as “mine” or “yours,” “ours” is useful whenever possession or belonging must be expressed without repeating the noun.
pronounA possessive pronoun used to indicate possession or association, especially when the possessor is a group of people including the speaker. It can also mean something considered to belong to or be associated with the speaker and others.
- Used independently to indicate that something belongs to, is associated with, or is available to the speaker and one or more other people.
"The blue house is ours, but the garden next door belongs to someone else."
"We brought our own equipment, but theirs was left at the hotel."
"The decision to continue the project was ours."
“Ours” is the only standard English possessive pronoun that refers to the speaker together with one or more other people.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of ours
“Ours” developed as a possessive form of the Old English pronoun “ūs,” meaning “us.” Its modern form reflects the possessive ending “-s” combined with the form of “our,” ultimately from the same Germanic source underlying English “our” and “us.” Related forms appear in other Germanic languages, including German “unser” and Dutch “ons.”
How ours is actually used
“Ours” is a formal possessive pronoun and is commonly used when the corresponding possessive noun phrase is understood. In informal speech, a form such as “mine” may be used when only the speaker is intended, but “ours” normally implies the speaker and others.
Easily confused with ours
“Our” is a possessive determiner placed before a noun, as in “our house,” whereas “ours” stands alone as a possessive pronoun, as in “the house is ours.”