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\ ˈōn 
\
\Definition of own
(Entry 1 of 3)
1 : belonging to oneself or itself
—usually used following a possessive case or possessive adjectivecooked my own dinnerwas responsible for his own bad luck
2 —used to express immediate or direct kinshipan own sonan own sistermy own family
own
verbowned; owning; owns
Definition of own (Entry 2 of 3)
1a : to have or hold as property : possess
b : to have power or mastery over
wanted to own his own life
2 : to acknowledge to be true, valid, or as claimed : admit own a debt
: to acknowledge something to be true, valid, or as claimed
—used with to or up
Definition of own (Entry 3 of 3)
: one or ones belonging to oneself
—used after a possessive and without a following noungave out books so that each of us had our owna room of your own
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
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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.
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Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective Sityodtong eventually founded his own shop with Izara Capital Management LLC.
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Yoolim Lee, Bloomberg.com, "Ultimate Fighting Championship Has an Asian Rival," 30 Aug. 2017 Visitors may bring their own beach picnic supplies and beach gear from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Oceanfront Community Center, 9301 Collins Ave.
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Jennifer Jhon, South Florida Parenting, "What to do with the kids this weekend: Free zoo, bowling and crafts events," 30 Aug. 2017 He has even been seen wearing his own merchandise, which is for sale on his website, on his way to survey the damage.
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Veronica Hilbring, Essence.com, "Tone Deaf: Here's Everything Trump Has Said About Hurricane Harvey," 30 Aug. 2017 To all the sports teams out there: Tweet about words at your own risk.
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Alysha Tsuji, USA TODAY, "Merriam-Webster Twitter fantastically burns 3 NFL teams," 30 Aug. 2017 Why does everything Joe Maddon does come with its own aura and air of genius?
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Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "The Morning Line, 8/30," 30 Aug. 2017 And for those already in serious relationships, the loss of a job can be devastating in its own way.
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Catherine Cusick, Longreads, "Working Class Jilts America’s Sweetheart Deal," 30 Aug. 2017 Diligent K-beauty lovers identified the mask in question as the Elizavecca Milky Piggy Carbonated Bubble Clay Mask, Lucy Hale did a demo, and ever since, more brands have followed suit with their own versions.
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Rachel Nussbaum, Glamour, "This Is What Bubble Masks Actually Do for Your Skin," 30 Aug. 2017 Russia is a leading global supplier of uranium to the nuclear power industry and has its own uranium repository.
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chicagotribune.com, "A uranium bank just opened in Kazakhstan to stop the spread of nukes," 29 Aug. 2017 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Julie, her brother Bill and their mother, Lillian Axley, now own the business, and Julie, her husband, Ron, Bill and his son, Brian Axley help with the business.
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Monique Welch, orlandosentinel.com, "Tampa Bay sawmill cuts its last cypress log and shuts down," 17 Sep. 2019 By percentage, Kitchens owns a better record than any of his predecessors.
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Mark Inabinett | Minabinett@al.com, al, "Browns post Monday night victory over Jets," 17 Sep. 2019 For the season, the veteran port-sider owns a 3.89 ERA/4.40 xFIP.
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Skip Snow, USA TODAY Sportsbook Wire, "Cincinnati Reds at Chicago Cubs odds, picks and best bets," 16 Sep. 2019 And in the 1960s, Fonssagrives Solow co-owned a fashion house in Paris with designer Vicky Tiel, Mia & Vicky, backed by Elizabeth Taylor (among others).
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Vogue, "Sculptor Mia Fonssagrives Solow Talks About Art, Fashion, Family, and Fembots," 16 Sep. 2019 Though some owners are caucasian, C1V1L is majority-owned by minorities.
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Erin Nicole Celletti, Teen Vogue, "Slick Woods Launched a Jewelry Line Supporting Minority-Owned Businesses," 16 Sep. 2019 Walton owns and runs Walton’s Plants, a little flower shop on the corner of Woodlawn and McClellan, deep inside an east-side Detroit neighborhood, far from the traffic and visibility of the main roads.
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John Carlisle, Freep.com, "Detroit flower man grows hope, brings beauty to community," 12 Sep. 2019 Susan Santer owns The Luckenbooth, a Detroit occult shop that offers psychic and tarot card readings.
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Emma Keith, Detroit Free Press, "Friday the 13th to bring an extra twist: A full moon," 11 Sep. 2019 Justin Park owns the Drunken Tiger, a small yet trendy restaurant in the corner of a strip mall in Mesa.
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Tirion Morris, azcentral, "Soju is the world's most-consumed spirit. Here's the best place to try it in Phoenix," 5 Sep. 2019
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'own.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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Time Traveler for own
The first known use of own was before the 12th century
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More Definitions for own
own
adjectiveEnglish Language Learners Definition of own
(Entry 1 of 3)
—used to say that something belongs or relates to a particular person or thing and to no other —always used after a possessive (such as "my," "your," or "their")
—used to stress the fact that a person does or makes something without the help of other people —always used after a possessive
own
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of own (Entry 2 of 3)
: to have (something) as property : to legally possess (something)
old-fashioned : to admit that something is true
own
pronounEnglish Language Learners Definition of own (Entry 3 of 3)
: something or someone that belongs or relates to a particular person or thing and to no other
See the full definition for own in the English Language Learners Dictionary
own
adjective\ ˈōn \
\Kids Definition of own
(Entry 1 of 2)
—used to show the fact that something belongs to or relates to a particular person or thing and no other I have my own room. The hotel has its own theater.
own
verbowned; owning
Kids Definition of own (Entry 2 of 2)
1 : to have or hold as property
She owns two cars.
2 : to admit that something is true
He owned to being scared.
own
transitive verbLegal Definition of own
: to have or hold as property especially : to have title to own property
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