ours
pronUK /ˈaʊəz/ · US /ˈaʊɚz/
Etymology From Middle English oures, attested since the 1300s. Equivalent to our + -s (compare -'s); formed by analogy to his. Displaced ourn (from Middle English ouren) in standard speech.
8 senses
- 1Excluding the person(s) being addressed (exclusive ours)
- 2Including the person(s) being addressed (inclusive ours).
- 3That or those belonging to any entity that the speaker…
- 4That or those belonging to people in general.
- 5That or those belonging to everyone being addressed.
- 6That or those belonging to an individual being…
- 7Used to imply connection between the speaker's…
- 8Our house or home.
› That or those belonging to us.
Excluding the person(s) being addressed (exclusive ours)
- You can't take that! It's ours!
- Could we ask you to move, please. These seats are ours.
1 more example
- This beach is a favourite of ours.
Including the person(s) being addressed (inclusive ours).
- We should ask for it back. After all, it is ours.
- Don't you think that ours looks much nicer than theirs?
That or those belonging to any entity that the speaker is a part of or identifies with, such as place of employment or education, nation, region, language, etc.
- French food is better than ours.
That or those belonging to people in general.
- As we get older, maintaining an active social life should be a priority of ours.
Colloquial That or those belonging to everyone being addressed.
- Good evening everyone. How are we all tonight? I know I've got my happy face on; have we all got ours on too?
Colloquial That or those belonging to an individual being addressed; used especially to a person in the speaker's care, or to whom advice or instruction is being given.
May seem patronising
- Hello Mrs Miggins. How are we feeling this morning? Oh, what's that bottle of tablets under our chair? Is that ours?
Colloquial Used to imply connection between the speaker's experiences or activities and a group of listeners.
- Hey guys, in this video I'll show you how I make my upside-down sponge cake. There are lots of recipes for these, but ours is the best.
Informal Our house or home.
- You can stay the night at ours if you like.
- Derived terms
- both of ours, friend of ours, of ours