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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owns,
present (3rd person singular)
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owned,
past participle, past
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owning
present participle
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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)
-
owns,
present (3rd person singular)
-
owned,
past participle, past
-
owning
present participle
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.
-
-
on one's own,
-
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.
-
living or functioning without dependence on others; independent.
My son's been on his own for several years.
-
-
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
-
-
to become fulfilled
she really came into her own when she got divorced
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to receive what is due to one
-
-
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
-
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:
New York state prosecutors, led by Attorney General Letitia James, are carrying out their own investigation to decide if criminal charges are warranted.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
Publish a bare number with false confidence and you own every inch of the miss.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
"Jane doesn't want some other woman, if God forbid this happens to them, to be left on their own, thrown overboard like she was."
From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026
When he left Polmont, he thought most employers would find it difficult to trust him, so he started his own personal training business.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
When I have my own property, I’m going to welcome everyone.
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Fox already owns the free ad-supported streaming service Tubi, which turned profitable last year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
Auslander, a longtime jewelry collector who herself owns seven Hermès bags, felt that the finance world was overlooking luxury.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
Several lawsuits have been filed against the firm, which owns the mine and the plant next to their village.
From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026
In Texas, Kim Hanks, who owns Tillies, a hotel, restaurant and spa business near Austin, says rising grocery and fuel costs are forcing her to raise wages for her 300 staff.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
"In that case you must be the daughter of that man who owns Wormwood Motors?"
From "Matilda" by Roald Dahl
The franchise will continue but will instead only be broadcast on Wow Presents Plus, a streaming platform owned by the production company behind the show.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
YK Enerji -- which is jointly owned by Limak Holding and IC Holding, both of which are official "climate supporters" of COP31 -- supports Turkey’s "carbon neutrality target," he said.
From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026
Empower Brands—which is jointly owned by Spectrum Brands SPB 6.04%increase; green up pointing triangle Holdings and funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management—said its latest bid, submitted on Oct.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026
MS NOW is now owned by Versant, a group of cable channels spun off from NBCUniversal.
From Salon ● Nov. 4, 2026
The event was in a town house that she guessed the university owned.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
It’s a bit easier, not to mention more profitable, when owning stocks that tend to lose less and to do best over an entire cycle.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
And besides, growing up means owning a home.
From Slate ● Oct. 28, 2026
MarketWatch: Even with that risk, is there a case for owning bitcoin, and how should a cautious investor treat it?
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2026
Why are rich people obsessed with owning dinosaur bones?
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026
Besides the practical value of someone to cook and clean, owning servants was a status symbol an ambitious young attorney needed to impress neighbors and legal clients.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
