our

our — determiner

1. used before a noun to show that something belongs to us, or is connected with us

1.determinerA1
Definition

used before a noun to show that something belongs to us, or is connected with us

Example

Our teacher gave us extra time before the science test.

our + singular noun

Our school bus leaves at seven, so pack your bag now.

our + compound noun phrase

Common collocations
  • our family
  • our house
  • our school
  • our team
  • our teacher
Synonyms
  • my

    shows possession by one speaker, not by a group that includes the speaker

  • your

    points to the listener or listeners instead of the speaker's group

  • their

    refers to other people outside the speaker's group

Grammar Patterns

our + singular noun

our + plural noun

Usage Note

Always comes before a noun. If no noun follows, use ours instead: our seats, but the seats are ours.

Common Mistakes

Our are on the table.
Ours are on the table.
use our before a noun, but use ours when the noun is omitted.
Our classroom is bigger than your.
Our classroom is bigger than yours.
your needs a following noun; yours can stand alone.

Synonym discussion

Sense: determiner/1

For determiner/1, our is the possessive word used when the speaker includes himself or herself with at least one other person: our room, our plan, our parents. My points to one speaker only, while our includes a group. Your points to the listener or listeners, and their points to other people outside the speaker's group. Learners also mix up our and ours. Use our before a noun, but use ours when the noun is left out: our seats are near the front, but the front seats are ours. If you say our teacher, you mean the teacher shared by the speaker's group.

my ↗your ↗their ↗ours ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Our comes from Old English ure, the old possessive form connected with us. Its shape changed over time, but the basic meaning stayed the same: it marks something as belonging to the speaker and other people together.