ours

Meanings

1. 1
   pron

   That or those belonging to us.

   You can't take that! It's ours!

2. 2
   pron

   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.

3. 3
   pron

   That or those belonging to people in general.

   As we get older, maintaining an active social life should be a priority of ours.

4. 4
   pron

   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?

5. 5
   pron

   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.

   Hello Mrs Miggins. How are we feeling this morning? Oh, what's that bottle of tablets under our chair? Is that ours?

6. 6
   pron

   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.

7. 7
   pron

   Our house or home.

   You can stay the night at ours if you like.

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.