own

1 of 3

adjective

ˈōn

Synonyms of own next

: 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

—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

transitive : to have or hold as property : possess

They dream of owning a home one day.

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

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

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

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

: for or by oneself : independently of assistance or control

made the decision on his own

: left to rely entirely on one's own resources

if you mess up, you're on your own

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Adjective

For Choi, the novel is rooted in her own childhood memories, the author tells PEOPLE. —

Carly Tagen-Dye, People.com, 20 Nov. 2024 In other words, the album came with its own set of hurdles, from clearing samples to obtaining approvals from the musicians who worked on the songs to getting Juice’s mother to sign off on the record. —

Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 20 Nov. 2024

Verb

FirstEnergy sought either a state or a federal solution for its financially struggling nuclear plants, which were later owned by a subsidiary. —

Jessie Balmert, The Enquirer, 22 Nov. 2024 Erik Hart and his partner, who owns a home across the street from the site, arrived in the area near the explosion around 4:10 p.m. after getting a call from their tenant saying an impact caused the home’s windows to shatter. —

Connor Giffin, The Courier-Journal, 22 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for own

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

Time Traveler

The first known use of own was before the 12th century

See more words from the same century

Phrases Containing own

Cite this Entry

Style

“Own.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/own. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

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Kids Definition

own

1 of 3 adjective

ˈōn

: belonging to oneself or itself

my own room

own

2 of 3 verb

: to have or hold as property : possess

: to have power or control over

wanted to own her own life

: 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

Last Updated: 23 Nov 2024 - Updated example sentences

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own

adjective

verb

pronoun

Synonyms

Examples of own in a Sentence

Word History

Dictionary Entries Near own

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition

Legal Definition