OWNERSHIP Synonyms: 23 Similar and Opposite Words

ownership

noun

Definition of ownership

as in control

the state or fact of owning something Home ownership is on the rise in this country. The café is now under new ownership.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of ownership Both boats are still floating, though their locations and ownership have changed over the years. — Natalie Davies, Freep.com, 3 Sep. 2026 Sweden builds nuclear pipeline A joint project company will be established to support the development, financing, construction, ownership and operation of the plants. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2026 The latter closed and has since rebranded following a change in ownership. — Tanasia Kenney, Charlotte Observer, 3 Sep. 2026 Aside from its Paul connection, the Air Jordan 8 Retro Hornets is also noteworthy for donning the colors of the team in which Jordan held a majority ownership in from 2010 to 2023. — Riley Jones, Footwear News, 2 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for ownership

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ownership

Noun

These trajectories document a robot’s behavior before an intervention, the moment a human operator takes control, and the corrective actions used to recover or complete the task.

— Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2026
Having control over a venue allows stadiums to be designed specifically with a women’s sports fan in mind, which can be critical to gameday experience.

— Melanie Anzidei, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of control

Noun

Those documents were then sent to an insurance company called Captive for safe keeping in case of any potential litigation, Banks said.

— Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 8 Sep. 2026
Indeed, the month of July set a new record in France, bagging the title of hottest month since record-keeping began in 1900, and the third driest month on record, according to France’s national weather service.

— Vivian Song, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of keeping

Noun

Those colours, as worn by Newton Heath — the club formed in 1878 who became Manchester United in 1902 — would become a symbol of the fight against the Glazers’ proprietorship.

— Chris McKenna, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2026
The New York Times described its methodology for producing the list, which started with selecting the criteria against which stores would be judged, including inventory, curation, proprietorship, customer service, ambience, location and payoff.

— Adrienne Roberts, Freep.com, 3 Dec. 2025

Definition of proprietorship

Noun

Western Michigan won the rushing battle and dominated time of possession, controlling the ball for more than 40 minutes.

— Austin Meek, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Mensah capped that drive with a 23-yard touchdown pass to Toney and the two connected on a 2-yard score on the next possession with Toney punctuating both TDs with a Heisman pose for the Hurricanes fans in that corner of the stadium.

— ABC News, ABC News, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of possession

Noun

But The Debut grows to become something altogether wilder, a fire-breathing encomium to the reality-altering power of acting.

— Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 6 Sep. 2026
Singapore is leveraging its scarce land, energy, and population to bolster its regulatory and agenda-setting power over data centers and sustainability.

— Brian Wong, Fortune, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of power

Browse Nearby Words

owners

ownership

owning

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Ownership.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ownership. Accessed 10 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of ownership

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on ownership

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

loath

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes