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Definition of own verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

own

verb
 
/əʊn/
 
/əʊn/
not used in the progressive tenses
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they own
 
/əʊn/
 
/əʊn/
he / she / it owns
 
/əʊnz/
 
/əʊnz/
past simple owned
 
/əʊnd/
 
/əʊnd/
past participle owned
 
/əʊnd/
 
/əʊnd/
-ing form owning
 
/ˈəʊnɪŋ/
 
/ˈəʊnɪŋ/
Idioms Phrasal Verbs
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  1. [transitive] own something to have something that belongs to you, especially because you have bought it
    • Do you own your house or do you rent it?
    • I don't own anything of any value.
    • Most of the apartments are privately owned.
    • an American-owned company
    • Does anyone own this coat? It was left in a classroom.
    • Don’t tell me what to do—you don’t own me!
    • His father was a farmer who owned land and property.
    • He owns and operates an eco-tourism company.
    • Hospitals became publicly owned companies.
    Extra Examples
    • They dreamed of owning their own home.
    • The car was once owned by Elvis Presley.
    • He committed the crime with a gun that he legally owned.
    • The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of SNL Research.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • independently
    • formerly
    • once
    phrases
    • directly owned by somebody
    • indirectly owned by somebody
    • own your own boat, home, etc.
    See full entry
  2. [transitive] own something (business) to manage and take responsibility for something
    • The successful candidate will be responsible for owning and achieving sales targets.
    Topics Businessc2
  3. [transitive] (especially US English, informal) to be completely successful, especially in a competition; to completely defeat somebody
    • own something She owned the stage, performing a medley of hit songs.
    • He didn't just finish the course, he completely owned it.
    • own somebody Yeah right, she totally owned you, man!
    Topics Successc2
  4. [intransitive, transitive] (old-fashioned) to admit that something is true
    • own to something/to doing something He owned to a feeling of guilt.
    • own (that)… She owned (that) she had been present.
  5. Word OriginOld English āgen (adjective and pronoun) ‘owned, possessed’, past participle of āgan ‘owe’; the verb (Old English āgnian ‘possess’, also ‘make own's own’) was originally from the adjective, later probably reintroduced from owner.
Idioms
behave/act as if you own the place | think you own the place
  1. (disapproving) to behave in a very confident way that annoys other people, for example by telling them what to do
    • She was acting as if she owned the place.
See own in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee own in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
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