owe (someone) one
idiom
—used to say that someone should help or give something to another person in return for help given
Thanks for your help. I owe you one.
You owe your sister one after all she has done for you.
Examples of owe (someone) one in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Only the very closest of friends and family owe one another, informally, a reason for not showing up.
—
Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 15 Feb. 2024
The case for the United States working to shape Israel’s response to the crisis and its aftermath rests not just on the reality that good if tough advice is what friends owe one another.
—Richard Haass, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2023
The Pistons owe one future first-round pick (to New York), but currently can only trade their 2029 first-round pick due to the pick protections on the outgoing pick.
—Marlowe Alter, Detroit Free Press, 18 Jan. 2023
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Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 15 Feb. 2024
The case for the United States working to shape Israel’s response to the crisis and its aftermath rests not just on the reality that good if tough advice is what friends owe one another.
—Richard Haass, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2023
The Pistons owe one future first-round pick (to New York), but currently can only trade their 2029 first-round pick due to the pick protections on the outgoing pick.
—Marlowe Alter, Detroit Free Press, 18 Jan. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Owe (someone) one.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/owe%20%28someone%29%20one. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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