on one's own
Idioms-
By one's own efforts or resources, as in He built the entire addition on his own . [Mid-1900s]
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Responsible for oneself, independent of outside help or control, as in Dave moved out last fall; he's on his own now . [Mid-1900s]
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.
"These changes are frequent, usually benign, and are not a reason to stop an effective treatment on one's own initiative," he said.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026
Time on one’s own can also be healthy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
That determination to live on one’s own terms, no matter how gnarly or weird other people thought you were, is what fueled Fat Mike and NOFX, and judging from the trailer, that hasn’t changed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 20, 2026
Investing does seem to be an area where there are lessons that usually cannot be taught, only painfully learned on one’s own.
From Barron's ● Dec. 31, 2025
One's pleasure in that helped one somehow not to break down on one's own side—since breaking down was in question—for commiseration.
From The Sacred Fount by Henry James
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
