own

adjective

\ ˈōn

Definition of own

(Entry 1 of 3)

1 : belonging to oneself or itself —usually used following a possessive case or possessive adjective cooked my own dinnerwas responsible for his own bad luck

2 —used to express immediate or direct kinship an own sonan own sistermy own family

own

verb

owned; owning; owns

Definition of own (Entry 2 of 3)

transitive verb

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

intransitive verb

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

own

pronoun, singular or plural in construction

Definition of own (Entry 3 of 3)

: 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 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

Other Words from own Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about own

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Synonyms & Antonyms for own

Synonyms: Verb

command, enjoy, have, hold, possess, retain

Antonyms: Verb

lack, want

Choose the Right Synonym for own

Verb

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: Adjective

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

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

At the age of 30, pro wheelchair racer Tatyana McFadden has quite the hardware collection—and owns some serious real estate in the record books. — Jenny Mccoy, SELF, "17-Time Paralympic Medalist Tatyana McFadden on Fighting for the Rights of Athletes With Disabilities," 14 May 2019 Starting in episode five, The Guard starts to rummage through people's houses to confiscate guns and discover that Dewey owns the same one that matches the bullets that killed Cassandra. — Tamara Fuentes, Seventeen, "Who Killed Cassandra on "The Society"?," 13 May 2019 The deciding factor was that Microsoft owned Windows 95. — Matt Blitz, Popular Mechanics, "Later, Navigator: How Netscape Won and Then Lost the World Wide Web," 4 Apr. 2019 All of the equipment in the video, from Humvees to KC-130 tankers, are owned and operated by the U.S. Marines, giving the service extraordinary flexibility and tactical agility. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "Just a CH-53 Heavy Chopper Lifting a 12-Ton Armored Vehicle," 30 Apr. 2019 Illustration: Crystal Tai Chinese tech giant Huawei Technologies Co. on Thursday laid out details of its ownership structure in an attempt to rebut critics who have cast doubt on the company’s claim that it is owned and run by its employees. — Dan Strumpf, WSJ, "Huawei Says It Is Employee-‘Owned’—But Not Really," 25 Apr. 2019 His parents reportedly own a farm in his home state and prefer the quiet life. — Katherine J. Igoe, Marie Claire, "Who Is Jennifer Lawrence's Fiancé Cooke Maroney? He's an Art Dealer," 6 Feb. 2019 That meant people could own and use a Peloton for a monthly fee equivalent to the cost of three SoulCycle classes ($30-$40 apiece, depending on the location). — Rani Molla, Recode, "Peloton now has more U.S. customers than SoulCycle, new data suggests," 3 Dec. 2018 And that's basically why anyone would be willing to fork over two thousand bucks for the privilege of owning the Fold. — Michael Simon, PCWorld, "First looks at the Samsung Galaxy Fold are equal parts awe, surprise, and crease concerns," 15 Apr. 2019

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.

First Known Use of own

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Pronoun, singular or plural in construction

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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More Definitions for own

own

adjective

English 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

verb

English 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

pronoun

English 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.