theirs

Belonging to them

Theirs combines two jobs in one: to take the place of a noun or noun phrase already named, and to indicate that the thing referred to belongs to or is associated with some people, not including yourself: If your parking space is taken you can use theirs.

These two jobs give theirs and other words in its class the designation possessive pronoun.

possession

ownership

Legal right of possession

belongingsThings you possess
propertySomething owned or inherent
assetsOwned items of value

holdings · estate · goods · chattels · title · claim · stake · equity · deed · wealth

dispute

contested

Argued against, disputed

disputedArgued over, unresolved
claimedStated as fact
arguedDisputed verbally

debated · contended · quarreled · litigated · challenged · conflicted · divisive · controversial · rightful · wrongful

attribution

credited

Acknowledged as source

assignedGiven as duty
allocatedDesignated for distribution
designatedOfficially selected beforehand

granted · entitled · deserved · merited · earned · allotted · apportioned · bestowed · conferred · awarded

distinction

others

Different people, things

thoseDistant plural indicator
another'sOf a different person
outsidersThose not belonging

rivals · competitors · opponents · strangers · neighbors · peers · counterparts · adversaries · allies

Categories

possessivesmy, mine, your, yours, his
third personhe, she, it, him, her
Deixisthis, that, these, those, here
ownershipowner, own, ownership, possess, proprietorship
pronounsI, me, him, he, my

Opposites

person/ownership reference

theirsours

Possessive for we

mine · yours · his · hers · its

Phrases

gave their lives
put someone in their placeAssert superiority over another
go their separate waysEnd shared journey
to each their own
lose their headAbandon rational thinking
sweep someone off their feetCharm someone completely, suddenly

Family

Familiarity: Top 1,000
Profile: Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Abstract · Everyday, not technical · Rated G