your

Belonging to you; of you; related to you (singular; one owner).

Contraction

  1. Misspelling of you're.
    • In a possible case of nominative determinism, [Harry] Styles clearly demonstrated his penchant for grammar at a 2015 show, adding an apostrophe and an E to a Philadelphia fan’s sign so it said “You’re so nice” rather...

Determiner

  1. Belonging to you; of you; related to you (singular; one owner).
    • Let’s meet tomorrow at your convenience.
    • Is this your cat?
    • Everyone always asks what my advice is, and my advice is don’t overintellectualize your art. - 2022 October 14, Justin Curto, “The 1975’s Matty Healy Prefers Writing Lyrics He’s Afraid Of”, in Vulture, archived from the...
  2. Belonging to you; of you; related to you (plural; more owners).
    • Then Ieſus ſaid vnto them, My time is not yet come: but your time is alway ready. - 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, John 6:7, column 1:
  3. A determiner that conveys familiarity and mutual knowledge of the modified noun.
    • Not your average Tom, Dick and Harry.
    • Your Show of Shows
    • Your World with Neil Cavuto
  4. That; the specified (usually used with a human referent)
    • Your man just bought a new car.
    • Have you seen what your one over there is doing?

Origin

From Middle English your, youre, ȝour, ȝoure, from Old English ēower, īower (“your”, plural), from Proto-West Germanic *iuwar, from Proto-Germanic *izweraz. Cognate with Saterland Frisian jou (“your”), Dutch jouw (“your”), German Low German jo, jos (“your”), German euer (“your”, plural), Danish jeres (“your”).

Forms

ur ya yer yr yo yo' yoh yur

Related

Ime me myselfmemysen mine mymineme we us ourselvesourselfoursen oursourn our you yourselfyoursen yoursyourn thou thee thyselftheeselfthysen thine thythine youye yourselves you ally'all you guys yous y'allselves all yours y'all's you guys' your guys' all your y'all's your all's you guys' your guys'

Derived

a plague o' both your houses a plague on both your houses a pox on both your houses black as your hat Bob is your uncle Bob's your father's brother Bob's your mother's brother Bob's your uncle and Fanny's your aunt build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door did my back hurt your knife don't count your chickens before they've hatched don't worry your pretty little head flat as your hat for your eyes only go back to your country how's your hammer hanging kill your idols kiss your sister more grease to your elbow more power to your elbow my culture is not your costume pick-your-own Robert is your father's brother Robert is your mother's brother