View synonyms for own

own

[ohn]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

adjective

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.
(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)

to have or hold as one's own; possess.
They own several homes.
Antonyms: need, lack
to acknowledge or admit.
to own a fault.
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.
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.
to take over a (a computer system, program, or computer) without authorization.
The network has been owned by a hacker.

verb (used without object)

to confess (often followed by to, up, orup to ).
The one who did it had better own up. I own to being uncertain about that.

own

/ əʊn /

determiner

1. (intensifier)
  John's own idea
  your own mother
2. ( as pronoun )
  I'll use my own
on behalf of oneself or in relation to oneself
he is his own worst enemy
1. to become fulfilled
  she really came into her own when she got divorced
2. to receive what is due to one
informal, to have revenge
to maintain one's situation or position, esp in spite of opposition or difficulty
1. without help
2. by oneself; alone

verb

(tr) to have as one's possession
to confess or admit; acknowledge
rare, (tr; takes a clause as object) to concede
I own that you are right

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Other Word Forms

nonowning adjective
unowned adjective

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Word History and Origins

Origin of own¹

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” ( owe ); (verb) Middle English ownen, Old English āgnian, āhnian, derivative of āgen

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Word History and Origins

Origin of own¹

Old English āgen, originally past participle of āgan to have; related to Old Saxon ēgan, Old Norse eiginn. See _owe

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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

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.
of one's own, belonging to oneself.
She had never had a room of her own.
come into one's own,
1. to take possession of that which is due or owed one.
2. 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,
1. 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.
2. living or functioning without dependence on others; independent.
  My son's been on his own for several years.
hold one's own,
1. to maintain one's position or condition.
  The stock market seems to be holding its own these days.
2. to be equal to the opposition.
  He can hold his own in any fight.

More idioms and phrases containing own

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Synonym Study

See have.

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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.

Her own experience in the workplace left her feeling "vilified and punished severely" when symptoms affected her cognition, pain levels or emotions.

Related Words

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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