own

1 of 3

adjective

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
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
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 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

Dictionary Entries Near own

Cite this Entry

“Own.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/own. Accessed 8 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

own

1 of 3 adjective
: 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 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

More from Merriam-Webster on own

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