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
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"CLEP Financial Accounting," Vocabulary from Chapter 19
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-ship
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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.
Obstacles to foreign capital include restrictions on ownership of infrastructure, energy facilities and real estate, as well as environmental and legal regulations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
Once people love a jar rather than merely use it, corporate ownership can start to feel less like a business transaction than someone acquiring custody of a family recipe.
From Salon ● Sep. 20, 2026
Higher borrowing costs, service charges, leasehold and shared ownership complications have made them more expensive and complicated to own, damaging their reputation.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
U.K. consumer-goods company Reckitt Benckiser earlier this year said it agreed to sell its hygiene arm in Russia to Arnest Management for an undisclosed sum, but retained ownership of its local consumer-health business.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
He should not have flown, but for this circumstance: His master’s cattle were marked upon their ear, one cut to signify his ownership.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
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.
