Partners or Partners’ or Partner’s? (Helpful Examples)

Have you been partnered up and asked to write the possessive form of “partner?” Perhaps you’re wondering where to place the apostrophe in either “partner’s” or “partners’.”

Don’t worry; this article will have all the answers!

Partners or Partners’ or Partner’s?

“Partners” is plural. It is not possessive, but it still works to refer to more than one partner. “Partners'” is the plural possessive form (i.e. “multiple partners’ addresses”). “Partner’s” is the singular possessive (i.e. “my partner’s name”). The possessive forms show ownership of certain objects.

Here’s a quick reference to help you understand the forms we’re working with:

Singular	Partner
Plural	Partners
Singular possessive	Partner’s
Plural possessive	Partners’

The simple trick is to remember how many “partners” you’re talking about. While “partners” generally refers to a group of two, it can still be used in the singular form.

The singular “Partner” can become “partner’s” when possessive grammar rules are applied. You only need to add an apostrophe and an “s” to the end of the term. This allows you to show one partner owning an item.

The plural “Partners” becomes “partners'” when possessive rules apply. This time, only an apostrophe is added. You don’t need a second “s” as “partners” already end with one. This time, it shows that many partners own multiple objects.

Partner’s

“Partner’s” is the simpler possessive form of the two. It’s the one you’re more likely to come across since “partner” generally refers to the second person in a group of two (with you being the first).

“Partner’s” is the singular possessive form. This form is used when one partner owns an object.

It works similarly to the plural possessive form. You can add an item after including the apostrophe and “s” at the end of the word.

• I’m going to need his partner’s name. We can’t do this without knowing more about them.
• This is your partner’s house, right? Do you mind giving me a tour of the place?

Unlike the plural form, you may also add the item before the possessive:

• That name is my partner’s, not mine.

Partners’

“Partners'” is the plural possessive form. This means that many partners own multiple objects. This form is great to use when referring to more than one partner, as long as they own something.

But how do you show ownership in your writing? That’s where the apostrophe comes in.

The apostrophe offsets the ownership. It allows you to place an item directly after the plural possessive form. The object that comes after the form is now owned by “Partners:”

• I need to know the partners’ names before I can move forward with this. How many do you have?
• We have all the partners’ addresses here. I think that’s going to help us figure out our next steps.

Partners

“Partners” is the plural form of “partner.” It means that more than one “partner” is present. That’s it. There’s no possession to it, but it’s still grammatically correct.

You should use it on its own to show how many people you’re talking about.

• I have two partners that could help me understand what to do with this project.
• His partners aren’t going to be much use for this exam. Maybe he should go elsewhere.

As you can see, “partners” only refers to the plural form. To add possession, you need apostrophes.

Conclusion

“Partners” is not possessive. It is only the plural form.

For possessive forms, you have either “partner’s” or “partners’.”

“Partner’s” is the singular possessive form. This shows only one partner owning an object.

“Partners'” is the plural possessive form. This time, multiple partners own the same object (or group of objects).