own
Americanadjective
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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.
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(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)
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owns,
present (3rd person singular)
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owned,
past participle, past
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owning
present participle
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to have or hold as one's own; possess.
They own several homes.
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to acknowledge or admit.
to own a fault.
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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.
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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.
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to take over a (a computer system, program, or computer) without authorization.
The network has been owned by a hacker.
verb (used without object)
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owns,
present (3rd person singular)
-
owned,
past participle, past
-
owning
present participle
idioms
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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.
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of one's own, belonging to oneself.
She had never had a room of her own.
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come into one's own,
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to take possession of that which is due or owed one.
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to receive the recognition that one's abilities merit.
She finally came into her own as a sculptor of the first magnitude.
-
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on one's own,
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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.
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living or functioning without dependence on others; independent.
My son's been on his own for several years.
-
-
hold one's own,
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to maintain one's position or condition.
The stock market seems to be holding its own these days.
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to be equal to the opposition.
He can hold his own in any fight.
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determiner
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-
(intensifier)
John's own idea
your own mother
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( as pronoun )
I'll use my own
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on behalf of oneself or in relation to oneself
he is his own worst enemy
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to become fulfilled
she really came into her own when she got divorced
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to receive what is due to one
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-
informal to have revenge
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to maintain one's situation or position, esp in spite of opposition or difficulty
-
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without help
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by oneself; alone
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verb
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(tr) to have as one's possession
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to confess or admit; acknowledge
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rare (tr; takes a clause as object) to concede
I own that you are right
Synonym Usage
See have.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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ownsimple
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ownssimple
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have ownedperfect
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has ownedperfect
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am owningprogressive
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are owningprogressive
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is owningprogressive
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have been owningperfect progressive
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has been owningperfect progressive
Past
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ownedsimple
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had ownedperfect
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was owningprogressive
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were owningprogressive
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had been owningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of own
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” ( see owe); (verb) Middle English ownen, Old English āgnian, āhnian, derivative of āgen
Explanation
If you own something, it belongs to you. You can use the verb own to describe possession of any kind of property, ranging from a saucepan to a fancy mansion. If something can be bought, it can be owned. You wouldn’t say that you own people or intangible objects. But you might own a car, for example, and if you’re lucky, you might own a lot of really cool shoes. Own can also be an adjective describing something that belongs to a particular person, like your own bedroom, or your own mind. If you admit to something, you "own up to it," admitting the responsibility belongs to you.
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:
But investors want to see the oil giant dig up new finds of its own and keep replacing barrels consistently.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
She then throws a drink of her own.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
Before buying any individual stock, you should do your own research to form your own opinion about a company’s ability to remain competitive over the long term.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026
"If you look at our results, we need urgent contributions on that, but we don't have it in our own hands," he said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026
“You know what?” she said while Cam grabbed one of her hands, squishing it in his own.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Monumental Sports & Entertainment, which owns and operates the Wizards and Capital One Arena, did not immediately respond to questions from The Times about the incident.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
Lutfu Efe, who owns a chip shop, said he now pays nearly £800 a month for electricity and £600 a month for gas.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
Trian owns around 16.3% of Wendy’s common stock.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026
This included funds holding stakes in Indian energy giant Reliance Industries, which owns the largest oil refinery in the world, and The Southern Company, one of the biggest greenhouse gas emitters in the United States.
From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026
“See how Greg struts around like he owns the forest? Well, any animal who doesn’t know better buys into that lie. And there’s Dot, always following, trying to feel important too.”
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
At the airport, a private jet owned by Baires Fly, a charter airline, was waiting for the Bolsonaro family after the plane arrived from Buenos Aires a day earlier, according to flight-tracking data.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
It was the third home she’d owned; she bought her first at 20, thanks to subprime mortgages and help from her grandfather.
From Slate ● Oct. 28, 2026
Whoever owned the house, we realized, loved to cook.
From Salon ● Oct. 28, 2026
"Imagine if the Mona Lisa was just owned by a super-wealthy person and it wasn't on display and people couldn't see it, couldn't enjoy it."
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026
That fact alone was enough to make everyone wonder at once how much more of this stuff was out there, and who owned it.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
And besides, growing up means owning a home.
From Slate ● Oct. 28, 2026
Why are rich people obsessed with owning dinosaur bones?
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026
You can even make a copy for personal use, but officially owning one on the blockchain will cost you.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026
His later pursuits included work in children’s theater education and men’s fashion and owning a West Hollywood flower shop.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
As far back as I could remember, in every dream I had had of owning my own pony, it had always been a beautiful paint.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
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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.
