owing

[ oh-ing ]

/ ˈoʊ ɪŋ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR owing ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

owed, unpaid, or due for payment: to pay what is owing.

Nearby words

Idioms

owing to, because of; as a result of: Owing to a mistake in the payroll department, some of us were issued incorrect checks.

Origin of owing

Middle English word dating back to 1325–75; see origin at owe, -ing²

Related formsun·ow·ing, adjective

Definition for owing (2 of 2)

owe

[ oh ]

/ oʊ /

verb (used with object), owed, ow·ing.

to be under obligation to pay or repay: to owe money to the bank; to owe the bank interest on a mortgage.

to be in debt to: He says he doesn't owe anybody.

to be indebted (to) as the cause or source of: to owe one's fame to good fortune.

to have or bear (a feeling or attitude) toward someone or something: to owe gratitude to one's rescuers.

Obsolete. to possess; own.

verb (used without object), owed, ow·ing.

to be in debt: Neither lend nor owe. Who owes for the antipasto?

Origin of owe

before 900; Middle English owen to possess, be under obligation, have to pay; Old English āgan to possess; cognate with Old High German eigan, Old Norse eiga. See own, ought¹

Can be confusedO oh oweode owed

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for owing

Owing to its popularity as a pet, it has spread across the Pacific to China.
The Buddhist Business of Poaching Animals for Good Karma|Brendon Hong|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But owing to another experimental vaccine he received, its impossible to say whether the blood is what saved him.
Blood Is Ebola’s Weapon and Weakness|Abby Haglage|October 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Bloody as it is, Penny Dreadful is also rather beautiful, owing to some spectacular set design and spot-on horror imagery.
‘Penny Dreadful’ Is a Shameless Orgy of Blood, Gore, and Scary Fun|Kevin Fallon|May 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Owing to a citizen protest, which moved the issue to district court, the vote has been postponed to April 2014.
Drone Hunting Vote Is Squashed by Citizen Protest|Abby Haglage|December 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST

The Soviets stopped setting off nukes at Nova Zembla after that, owing to international pressure.
Pale Fire and the Cold War: Redefining Vladimir Nabokov’s Masterpiece|Michael Weiss|October 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Owing to circumstances, the eldest lad had to be sent to school at an early age.
The Power of Womanhood, or Mothers and Sons|Ellice Hopkins
Chichester, however, had to be renounced, owing to the difficulty of residence.
Hilda Lessways|Arnold Bennett
Both branches of the Lyric Club, in fact, came suddenly to grief, owing to a great misfortune which it is better not to recall.
Forty Years of 'Spy'|Leslie Ward
Unfortunately her first appearance in London had to be postponed for a year owing to the fact of there being no vacancy.
Carnival|Compton Mackenzie
Owing to its large size and rapid rotation, as has already been mentioned, Jupiter is very much flattened at the poles.
The Story of the Solar System|George F. Chambers

British Dictionary definitions for owing (1 of 2)

owing

/ (ˈəʊɪŋ) /

adjective

(postpositive) owed; due

owing to (preposition) because of or on account of

British Dictionary definitions for owing (2 of 2)

owe

/ (əʊ) /

verb (mainly tr)

to be under an obligation to pay (someone) to the amount of

(intr) to be in debthe still owes for his house

(often foll by to) to have as a result (of)he owes his success to chance

to feel the need or obligation to do, give, etcto owe somebody thanks; to owe it to oneself to rest

to hold or maintain in the mind or heart (esp in the phrase owe a grudge)

Word Origin for owe

Old English āgan to have (C12: to have to); related to Old Saxon ēgan, Old High German eigan

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for owing

owe

Old English agan (past tense ahte) "to have, own," from Proto-Germanic *aiganan "to possess" (cf. Old Frisian aga, Old Norse eiga, Old High German eigan, Gothic aigan "to possess, have"), from PIE *aik- "to be master of, possess" (cf. Sanskrit ise "he owns," isah "owner, lord, ruler;" Avestan is- "riches," isvan- "well-off, rich").

Sense of "to have to repay" began in late Old English with the phrase agan to geldanne literally "to own to yield," which was used to translate Latin debere (earlier in Old English this would have been sceal "shall"); by late 12c. the phrase had been shortened to simply agan, and own (v.) took over this word's original sense.

An original Germanic preterite-present verb (cf. can, dare, may, etc.). New past tense form owed arose 15c. to replace oughte, which developed into ought (v.).

owing

adjective

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Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of owing

Definition for owing (2 of 2)

owe

verb (used with object), owed, ow·ing.

verb (used without object), owed, ow·ing.

Origin of owe

Examples from the Web for owing

British Dictionary definitions for owing (1 of 2)

owing

adjective

British Dictionary definitions for owing (2 of 2)

owe

verb (mainly tr)

Word Origin for owe

Word Origin and History for owing

owe