own

adjective \ ˈōn \

Definition of own

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

See own defined for English-language learners

See own defined for kids

Recent Examples of own from the Web

Sityodtong eventually founded his own shop with Izara Capital Management LLC.

— 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.

— 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.

— 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.

— 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?

— 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.

— 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.

— 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.

— chicagotribune.com, "A uranium bank just opened in Kazakhstan to stop the spread of nukes," 29 Aug. 2017

These 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.

Origin and Etymology of own

Middle English owen, from Old English āgen; akin to Old High German eigan own, Old Norse eiginn, Old English āgan to possess — more at owe

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

own

verb

Definition of own

transitive verb

1 a :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

intransitive verb

:to acknowledge something to be true, valid, or as claimed —used with to or up

—

owner

play \ˈō-nər\ noun

See own defined for English-language learners

Examples of own in a Sentence

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 of own from the Web

And the result is almost always the same (Baltimore owns a 7-2 edge since 2005).

— adam h. beasley, miamiherald, "Predicting the 2017 Dolphins season: A game-by-game breakdown," 30 Aug. 2017
Mickey Thomas owns the soaring voice that propelled the band, Starship, through the ’80s and ’90s with hits like ‘

— faye reeder, star-telegram, "Open house will show how Arlington Charities fights hunger, poverty," 30 Aug. 2017
They were donated by the Connellee family, which owns the Pepsi bottling plant in Havre de Grace.

— erika butler, The Aegis, "Donations pour in to Bel Air fire company for Harvey victims," 30 Aug. 2017
The story was picked up by other news outlets owned by McClatchy, the Statesman’s owner.

— maria l. la ganga, idahostatesman, "The woman who eats from dumpsters to pay for husband’s care? People are offering help," 30 Aug. 2017
Staff File Photo Earnhardt Sr. practically owned Darlington throughout his Hall of Fame career, winning nine different Cup races there.

— brendan marks, charlotteobserver, "Darlington honors Dale Earnhardt Sr. on Friday. Can Dale Earnhardt Jr. win Sunday?," 30 Aug. 2017
The district owns and operates Palomar Medical Center in Escondido, Palomar Medical Center Poway (formerly Pomerado Hospital), Villa Pomerado and other related facilities in North County.

— steve dreyer, Pomerado News, "Palomar Health steps up as major Poway Days sponsor," 30 Aug. 2017
Owned by a husband-and-wife duo, the shop is filled with stylish and comfortable maxi-dresses, tops, unique jewelry, shoes, and cocktail attire—all with a boho, beachy feel.

— Condé Nast Traveler, "Mahina," 25 Aug. 2017
The upshot for Facebook is that teens leaving Facebook are probably only going to one of two places: Instagram, which Facebook owns, or Snapchat, which Facebook has spent the past year doing its best to copy within Instagram’s own set of features.

— maya kosoff, The Hive, "Facebook Is Facing a Demographic Time Bomb," 22 Aug. 2017

Origin and Etymology of own

see ¹own

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

own Synonyms

Synonyms

command, enjoy, hold, have, possess, retain

Antonyms

lack, want

Related Words

keep, reserve, withhold; bear, carry; boast, show off, sport

Near Antonyms

abandon, cede, disclaim, disown, hand over, relinquish, renounce, surrender, yield; discard, dump; decline, reject, repudiate, spurn; need, require

Synonym Discussion of 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

Other Economics Terms

actuary, compound interest, globalization, indemnity, portfolio, rentier, stagflation, usurer

own

pronoun, singular or plural in construction

Definition of own

: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

— 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

Origin and Etymology of own

see ¹own

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

OWN Defined for English Language Learners

own

verb

Definition of own for English Language Learners

: to have (something) as property : to legally possess (something)
: to admit that something is true

OWN Defined for Kids

own

adjective \ ˈōn \

Definition of own for Students

—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

verb

Definition of own for Students

owned; owning

1 :to have or hold as property

She owns two cars.

2 :to admit that something is true

He owned to being scared.

Law Dictionary

own

transitive verb

legal Definition of own

:to have or hold as property; especially :to have title to

own property

Learn More about own

See words that rhyme with own Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for own Spanish Central: Translation of own Nglish: Translation of own for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of own for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up own? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

own

Definition of own

Read the Latest from M-W

Recent Examples of own from the Web

Origin and Etymology of own

own

Definition of own

owner

Examples of own in a Sentence

Recent Examples of own from the Web

Origin and Etymology of own

own Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Synonym Discussion of own

Other Economics Terms

own

Definition of own

Origin and Etymology of own

OWN Defined for English Language Learners

own

Definition of own for English Language Learners

OWN Defined for Kids

own

Definition of own for Students

own

Definition of own for Students

Law Dictionary

own

legal Definition of own

Learn More about own

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

The Exceptions Quiz III

The Origins of 'Lobbyist'

Trending: McCain: Half-Baked, 'Spurious' Nationalism

17 English Words that Come From Japanese

Words of the Year: 1066