ownership
Americannoun
-
the state or fact of being an owner
-
legal right of possession; proprietorship
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of ownership
Explanation
Ownership is the state of owning something. Anything that people own or possess gives them the quality of ownership. Wars are often fought over the ownership of land. When you buy a book, you own it. Add the suffix ship to owner, and now you have ownership of that lovely book. If you buy a house, you have ownership of it. Politicians like to talk about the “American dream of home ownership.” If you buy a lottery ticket, you have ownership of that, too. If you win big, you’ll have ownership of lots of cash and then you, too can realize that American dream.
Vocabulary lists containing ownership
Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -ship
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"CLEP Financial Accounting," Vocabulary from Chapter 19
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
-ship
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
Chen and the university hold an ownership interest in the company.
From Science Daily • Jul. 11, 2026
“The broader stock ownership becomes, the more difficult it may be for the Federal Reserve to distinguish between supporting financial stability and supporting the stock market itself,” Balchunas wrote in the report.
From MarketWatch • Jul. 11, 2026
"In Norway, a talented player is a player who loves the game the most - a player who has ownership for his own development and who takes ownership for the team's development," added Grottland.
From BBC • Jul. 11, 2026
The housing package contains nearly 60 provisions intended to boost supply, reduce regulatory barriers and improve access to mortgages and home ownership.
From Barron's • Jul. 10, 2026
He didn’t like people who were uppity and had mixed feelings about home ownership in general.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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.
