ownership

noun

own·​er·​ship ˈō-nər-ˌship 

plural ownerships

1

: the state, relation, or fact of being an owner

Warhol died in 1987, and the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts assumed ownership of his work.

—Adam Liptak

… transfer of business and farm ownerships …

—The Columbian (Clark County, Washington) (online)

2

: a group or organization of owners

The sale, if approved by at least 75% of major league ownership, would value the team at $1.725 billion.

—Cale Clinton

3

: the quality or state of being accountable : responsibility

A successful candidate must settle all fines and costs owed to the society … and take full ownership for the conduct that led to their disciplinary hearing.

—Maggie McIntosh

The important thing in those situations is to promptly accept ownership of a misstep, do what's necessary to clean up the mess, and make the changes necessary to ensure it doesn't happen again.

—Danville (Virginia) Register & Bee

Examples of ownership in a Sentence

The company is under private ownership.

Recent Examples on the Web

The team has dipped to a losing record for the first time all season since Week 1 and now has allowed the 3-4 Falcons a direct path to sole ownership of the NFC South later this weekend. — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 30 Oct. 2026

Forty-five bidders battled just under three minutes for ownership of what is perhaps the most consequential map in American history. — ABC News, 29 Oct. 2026

Under the department’s new license plate reader policy, officials said the LAPD will have complete ownership of the data and will be prohibited from sharing it with certain outside agencies without approval from senior leadership. — Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2026

In the nineteenth century, demand for dog art only increased as dogs became widely celebrated for their moral values—and as dog ownership became associated with moral benefits for people. — Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

owner + -ship

First Known Use

1583, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing ownership

• cross-ownership
• home ownership

Rhymes for ownership

• authorship
• battleship
• censorship
• chairmanship
• chieftainship
• comradeship
• consulship
• craftsmanship
• dealership
• draftsmanship
• fellowship
• fingertip

Legal Definition

ownership

noun

own·​er·​ship

: the state, relation, or fact of being an owner

also : the rights or interests of an owner

— absolute ownership

: ownership especially by a single person that is free of any encumbrances or limitations other than statutory law compare fee simple absolute at fee simple

— ostensible ownership \ ä-​ˈsten-​sə-​bəl-​ \

: ownership that is apparent rather than actual and that sometimes is recognized in cases of purchase of the property by an innocent third party

a dispute arising from the dealer's ostensible ownership and sale of the collateral

Note: A purchaser from a person with ostensible ownership of property may be able to defeat the claim to the property of the actual owner who created the ostensible ownership.

— ownership in indivision

in the civil law of Louisiana : ownership by two or more persons each having undivided shares in the property as a whole compare community property at property

— qualified ownership

: ownership that is limited by time, the interest of another party, or restrictions on the use of the property

had only qualified ownership of the fish and game on his property due to state restrictions