owe
Americanverb (used with object)
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owes,
present (3rd person singular)
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owed,
past participle, past
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owing
present participle
-
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.
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to be indebted (to) as the cause or source of.
to owe one's fame to good fortune.
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to have or bear (a feeling or attitude) toward someone or something.
to owe gratitude to one's rescuers.
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Obsolete. to possess; own.
verb (used without object)
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owes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
owed,
past participle, past
-
owing
present participle
verb
-
to be under an obligation to pay (someone) to the amount of
-
(intr) to be in debt
he still owes for his house
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(often foll by to) to have as a result (of)
he owes his success to chance
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to feel the need or obligation to do, give, etc
to owe somebody thanks
to owe it to oneself to rest
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to hold or maintain in the mind or heart (esp in the phrase owe a grudge )
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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owesimple
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owessimple
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have owedperfect
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has owedperfect
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am owingprogressive
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are owingprogressive
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is owingprogressive
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have been owingperfect progressive
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has been owingperfect progressive
Past
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owedsimple
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had owedperfect
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was owingprogressive
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were owingprogressive
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had been owingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
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, ought 1
Explanation
People owe things when they're in debt to someone. A friend can owe you a favor, and your employer owes you a paycheck. When you talk about owing, it has to do with what someone deserves from someone else. If you borrow library books, you owe them to the library after a few weeks. When you take out a loan, you owe that money to the bank. You can also owe favors and more abstract things. If a friend did something bad to you, but they've been your friend a long time, you probably owe them a second chance.
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.
See Examples For:
Make sure you know how much you owe.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026
My friend Julie Awad, who is a fellow self-proclaimed extrovert, says part of the reason she typically offers to put her card down during group events is because she doesn’t like to owe people money.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
She followed the statement by looking straight into the camera and addressing Gaga, “I hope you watch, and I hope you remember what you did. And I feel like you owe me an apology.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
"We are demanding that they pay us what they owe us," Francisca Staiti, general secretary of the teachers' union Conadu Historica told AFP.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
No, ‘We have wronged you in time. We owe you.’
From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
She makes about $78,000 a year, has roughly $160,000 saved for retirement and owes $210,000 on her own small house, which she’s been renting out since she moved in with mom.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026
The lender owes tax on the interest, and the borrower often can deduct it if he or she itemizes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
The jury found that Joby owes Aerosonic more than $48 million for misappropriating trade secrets and more than $68 million for breaking a nondisclosure agreement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
Slemmer's mother, May Martinez, who also was in attendance, angrily told a local news outlet that the "state owes me a big apology," and that it had failed her family.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
Theon Greyjoy put a hand cm the hilt of his blade and said, "My lady, if it comes to that, my House owes yours a great debt."
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
At least £150m is currently owed to the government in uncollected illegal-working fines, according to Home Office figures obtained by the BBC.
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026
Jon Rahm will give up a reported £75m owed to him by LIV Golf after reaching a separation agreement that will secure his exit from the league.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
The two-time major champion was directly owed $7.5 million by LIV when it filed for bankruptcy last month.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
The 24.4-cent federal tax normally owed when that fuel hits the road is deferred through Dec. 31, and the IRS is to stop writing penalties.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026
I owed a lot to my friend Kimutai.
From "Facing the Lion" by Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton and Herman Viola
But I want one part of our finances that can’t be lost, and I don’t want to enter retirement owing six figures when we have the cash to pay it off.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2026
Flight prices have soared in recent months owing to higher jet fuel prices, as well as increasing labor costs from collective-bargaining agreements.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026
She qualified for that year's World Championships, Commonwealth Games and European Championships in what was an unusually condensed season owing to the backlog from the pandemic.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
US government borrowing costs surged on the news, with 10-year Treasuries hitting fresh 24-year highs, though they later retreated on investor demand owing to their attractive yields above 5.3 percent.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
Even if they slip on out owing you some money, you got to bite the bullet, give up some slack, and let them be on their way.
From "145th Street: Short Stories" by Walter Dean Myers
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
