own
Americanadjective
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of, relating to, or belonging to oneself or itself (usually used after a possessive to emphasize the idea of ownership, interest, or relation conveyed by the possessive).
He spent only his own money.
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(used as an intensifier to indicate oneself as the sole agent of some activity or action, preceded by a possessive).
He insists on being his own doctor.
verb (used with object)
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to have or hold as one's own; possess.
They own several homes.
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to acknowledge or admit.
to own a fault.
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to acknowledge as one's own; recognize as having full claim, authority, power, dominion, etc..
He owned his child before the entire assembly. They owned the king as their lord.
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to totally defeat, gain control over, or dominate in a competition.
I totally owned the last two levels of the game.
He owned the season from beginning to end and took the world title.
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to take over a (a computer system, program, or computer) without authorization.
The network has been owned by a hacker.
verb (used without object)
idioms
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get one's own back, to get revenge and thereby a sense of personal satisfaction, as for a slight or a previous setback; get even with somebody or something.
He saw the award as a way of getting his own back for all the snubs by his colleagues.
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of one's own, belonging to oneself.
She had never had a room of her own.
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come into one's own,
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to take possession of that which is due or owed one.
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to receive the recognition that one's abilities merit.
She finally came into her own as a sculptor of the first magnitude.
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on one's own,
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by dint of one's own efforts, resources, or sense of responsibility; independently.
Because she spoke the language, she got around the country very well on her own.
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living or functioning without dependence on others; independent.
My son's been on his own for several years.
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hold one's own,
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to maintain one's position or condition.
The stock market seems to be holding its own these days.
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to be equal to the opposition.
He can hold his own in any fight.
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determiner
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(intensifier)
John's own idea
your own mother
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( as pronoun )
I'll use my own
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on behalf of oneself or in relation to oneself
he is his own worst enemy
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to become fulfilled
she really came into her own when she got divorced
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to receive what is due to one
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informal to have revenge
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to maintain one's situation or position, esp in spite of opposition or difficulty
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without help
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by oneself; alone
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verb
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(tr) to have as one's possession
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to confess or admit; acknowledge
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rare (tr; takes a clause as object) to concede
I own that you are right
Synonym Usage
See have.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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ownsimple
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ownssimple
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have ownedperfect
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has ownedperfect
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am owningprogressive
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are owningprogressive
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is owningprogressive
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have been owningperfect progressive
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has been owningperfect progressive
Past
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ownedsimple
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had ownedperfect
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was owningprogressive
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were owningprogressive
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had been owningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of own
First recorded before 900; (adjective) Middle English owen, Old English āgen (cognate with German eigen, Old Norse eigenn ), originally the past participle of āgan “to possess” ( see owe); (verb) Middle English ownen, Old English āgnian, āhnian, derivative of āgen
Explanation
If you own something, it belongs to you. You can use the verb own to describe possession of any kind of property, ranging from a saucepan to a fancy mansion. If something can be bought, it can be owned. You wouldn’t say that you own people or intangible objects. But you might own a car, for example, and if you’re lucky, you might own a lot of really cool shoes. Own can also be an adjective describing something that belongs to a particular person, like your own bedroom, or your own mind. If you admit to something, you "own up to it," admitting the responsibility belongs to you.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Putting electricity generation “behind the meter”—when AI companies generate their own electricity on site rather than buying off the power grid—won’t protect consumers from data centers’ increasing demand for natural gas.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
"When this happens, we can either go our own ways, or come together, and it's joining up that always leads to the best science," said Hamberger.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 3, 2026
The UN has consistently pushed for a solution to the dispute, including a referendum, but the indigenous people of the area have never been able to vote for their own future.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
In 2018, almost all ratings used by state insurance regulators were either publicly disclosed ratings or assessments by their own staff.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026
I stomped down the sidewalk, my Friday night ruined by my own jealousy.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
For example, private-equity firm Apollo now owns Athene, an insurer with $387 billion in investments — of which about three-fourths were originated by Apollo.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026
George also owns an estate in England, a villa in Italy on Lake Como, and a property located next to his family in Kentucky.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026
“I’m seeing more and more American producer-investors over here,” said Nica Burns, a producer whose Nimax Theatres group owns six West End venues including the Palace, home to “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
Yum Brands, which also owns KFC and Habit Burger and Grill, saw operating profits increase 5% to $655 million year over year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
“You want to know something else about your Jake Mosby? His daddy owns about twenty percent of the steel mill that owns us. He’s got more money than Carter’s got little liver pills.”
From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam
Marvel, now owned by Disney, controls merchandise rights to the character, which typically get a boost from toy and other product sales thanks to a hit movie.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
Simmons believes the book may have been borrowed by his great-great-grandfather, John Simmons, who owned the house when the library first opened.
From Salon ● Aug. 2, 2026
Another 9% are owned by members of the Silent Generation — in their 80s and 90s — leaving the other half for the rest of the population.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 1, 2026
She worked for a different catering company owned by the same Hampshire-based businesswoman, Martha Lindeque.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
They owned the feed store, which also dealt in farm equipment.
From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney
The suit argues that owning the Golden Globes would “solidify a vertical and horizontal monopoly on the awards market.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
This means a candidate might report owning stock worth $15,001 to $50,000, for example, rather than a specific figure.
From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026
In 2018, IEP announced it was selling off Federal-Mogul after owning the car-parts maker for roughly a decade.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
The president is Trump Media’s largest shareholder, owning 41% held through a revocable trust in which he is the sole beneficiary.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 16, 2026
The nearest Salvador had ever come to his dream of owning a car was to acquire an old rusting set of truck wheels, which he set tenderly behind the house.
From "Lupita Mañana" by Patricia Beatty
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
