own

1 of 3

adjective

ˈōn 

1

: belonging to oneself or itself

—usually used following a possessive case or possessive adjective

cooked my own dinner

was responsible for his own bad luck

2

—used to express immediate or direct kinship

an own son

an own sister

my own family

own

2 of 3

verb

owned; owning; owns

intransitive + transitive

1

a

transitive : to have or hold as property : possess

They dream of owning a home one day.

b

transitive : to have power or mastery over : dominate

The Lions absolutely owned the Packers in the first half, with … three touchdowns, four sacks and an interception …

—Emmett Prosser

c

transitive : to humiliate or embarrass (someone) in view of others and especially online

When you get owned by Wendy's on Twitter, it's safe to say your rap career is a bust.

—Bernadette Giacomazzo

2

a

transitive + intransitive : acknowledge, admit

owned their mistake

(old-fashioned) I own that I misjudged him.

(old-fashioned) "… I must own to being a little disappointed. …"

—Timothy Shay Arthur born 1809

see also own up

b

transitive : to manage or affirm (something) in a way that conveys a sense of pride, accomplishment, or conviction

She owns her femininity, her body, and her expression of herself … despite what anyone else thinks about her.

—Leigh Ann Ripka, quoted in The Acadiana Advocate (Lafayette, Louisiana)

Instead of shying away from taking credit for an expanded IRS, Democrats should own it and communicate to the public just why this is an excellent deal.

—The New York Daily News

own

3 of 3

pronoun

singular or plural in construction

: one or ones belonging to oneself

—used after a possessive and without a following noun

gave out books so that each of us had our own

a room of your own

Phrases

on one's own

1

: for or by oneself : independently of assistance or control

made the decision on his own

2

: left to rely entirely on one's own resources

if you mess up, you're on your own

Synonyms

Verb

• command
• enjoy
• have
• hold
• possess
• retain

Choose the Right Synonym for own

acknowledge, admit, own, avow, confess mean to disclose against one's will or inclination.

acknowledge implies the disclosing of something that has been or might be concealed.

acknowledged an earlier peccadillo

admit implies reluctance to disclose, grant, or concede and refers usually to facts rather than their implications.

admitted the project was over budget

own implies acknowledging something in close relation to oneself.

must own I know little about computers

avow implies boldly declaring, often in the face of hostility, what one might be expected to be silent about.

avowed that he was a revolutionary

confess may apply to an admission of a weakness, failure, omission, or guilt.

confessed a weakness for sweets

Examples of own in a Sentence

Verb

We hope to someday own our own home.

She drives a red truck that was originally owned by her grandfather.

He owns the rights to the band's music.

The couple owns and operates the business.

After everyone else denied any responsibility, he owned that he was at fault.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Before this week, none of Stefani’s traditional studio albums on her own have failed to crack the top 10 on the Billboard 200. —Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 2 Dec. 2024

Smilla’s extraordinary abilities are the key to the truth – about the boy and her own identity. —Leo Barraclough, Variety, 2 Dec. 2024

Verb

Jeffrey Yass: The GOP megadonor—worth $49.6 billion—could be a key figure in the fight over TikTok, as his trading firm owns a stake in parent company ByteDance. —Joe Walsh, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024

As of 2022, only 48% of renters owned any asset that might gain in value, such as retirement accounts, business equity, stocks and bonds, or other real estate not including their primary residence. —Andrea Riquier, USA TODAY, 3 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English oȝen, owen, awen, going back to Old English āgen, originally past participle of āgan "to possess, own, have" — more at owe

Note: Similar use of the past participle of the cognate verb is evident in other Germanic languages: Old Frisian āin, ēin, ēgen "own," Old Saxon ēgan, Middle Dutch ēghin, eighen, Old High German eigan, Old Icelandic eiginn.

Verb

probably verbal derivative of own entry 1

Note: This verb is apparently unattested before the late sixteenth century, and is not continuous with early Middle English æȝenen, ahnen, ahnien (Layamon's Brut, Ormulum) "to gain control of, have possession of," going back to Old English āgnian "to own, possess, take possession of" (with parallel forms in other Germanic languages), a derivative of āgen own entry 1. Compare owner, from which own may be in part a back-formation.

Pronoun

Middle English owne, going back to Old English āgen, nominalized form of āgen own entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Pronoun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing own

• after one's own heart
• a legend in one's own time
• all someone's own
• a taste/dose of someone's own medicine
• at one's own peril
• at one's own risk
• at someone's own pace
• beat someone at their own game
• be/become one's own man
• be left to one's own devices
• bend under one's own weight
• be one's own boss
• blow one's own horn
• blow one's own trumpet
• bring your own bottle
• by one's own account
• by one's own admission
• by one's own bootstraps
• by one's own hand
• come into one's own
• co-own
• cut one's own throat
• died by her own hand
• dig one's own grave
• do one's own thing
• each to his own
• for one's own benefit
• for one's own good
• get one's own back
• go one's own way
• have a mind of one's own
• have/get one's (own) way
• have it one's (own) way
• hoist by one's own petard
• hoist with one's own petard
• hold one's own
• in a league of one's own
• in a world of one's own
• in its own right
• in its own time
• in one's own (good) time
• in one's own right
• in one's (own) sweet time
• in one's own time
• in one's own world
• in the comfort of one's own home
• into one's own pockets
• know one's own heart/mind
• lead one's own life
• leave someone to his or her own devices
• make (something) one's own
• make up your own mind
• not know one's own strength
• off one's own bat
• of its own accord
• of one's own accord
• of one's own making
• of one's own volition
• of one's very own
• one's own man
• one's very own
• on one's own
• on one's own account
• on one's own authority
• on one's own hook
• on one's own initiative
• on one's own merits
• on one's own responsibility
• on one's own terms
• on one's own time
• on someone's own recognizance
• out of one's own pocket
• own-brand
• own goal
• own-label
• own up
• pay one's own way
• plough one's own furrow
• pull one's own weight
• run/live one's own life
• run one's own life
• seed/seeds of one's own destruction
• set one's own house in order
• sign one's own death warrant
• stand on one's own feet
• stand on one's own two feet
• stew in one's own juice/juices
• take matters into one's own hands
• take on a life of its own
• take one's own life
• take one's (own) sweet time
• take (something) into one's (own) hands
• take the law into one's own hands
• to call one's own
• to each his own
• toot one's own horn
• under its own steam
• under one's own power
• write one's own ticket

Kids Definition

own

1 of 3 adjective

ˈōn 

: belonging to oneself or itself

my own room

own

2 of 3 verb

1

a

: to have or hold as property : possess

b

: to have power or control over

wanted to own her own life

2

: to admit that something is true : confess

owned to being scared

if you broke the window, own up

owner

ˈō-nər 

noun

ownership

-ˌship

noun

own

3 of 3 singular or plural pronoun

: one or ones belonging to oneself

—used after a possessive

dog of his own

Legal Definition

own

transitive verb

: to have or hold as property

especially : to have title to

own property