own

 
Pronunciation: /əʊn/

adjective & pronoun

  • used with a possessive to emphasize that someone or something belongs or relates to the person mentioned: [as adjective]: they can’t handle their own children I was an outcast among my own kind [as pronoun]: the Church would look after its own
  • done or produced by and for the person mentioned: [as adjective]: I used to design all my own clothes [as pronoun]: they claimed the work as their own
  • particular to the person or thing mentioned; individual: [as adjective]: the style had its own charm [as pronoun]: the film had a quality all its own

verb

  • 1 [with object] have (something) as one’s own; possess: his father owns a restaurant (as adjective, in combination -owned) a state-owned company
  • 2 [no object] formal admit or acknowledge that something is the case or that one feels a certain way: she owned to a feeling of profound jealousy [with clause]: he was reluctant to own that he was indebted
  • [with object] take or acknowledge full responsibility for (something): I emphasize the importance of owning our anger and finding ways to control it
  • [with object] archaic acknowledge paternity, authorship, or possession of: he has published little, trivial things which he will not own
  • 3 [with object] US informal utterly defeat or humiliate: yeah right, she totally owned you, man

Phrases

as if (or like) one owns the place

informal in an overbearing or self-important manner: he would have walked in and taken charge as if he owned the place

be one's own man (or woman)

  • 1act independently and with confidence: I must show them that I am my own man, not merely my father’s shadow behind everything she did was a raw power that emphasized she was her own woman
  • 2 archaic be in full possession of one’s faculties.

come into its (or one's) own

become fully effective, used, or recognized: the two folk languages will at last come into their own

hold one's own

retain a position of strength in a challenging situation: Britain has begun to hold its own in world markets

of one's own

belonging to oneself alone: at last I’ve got a place of my own

on one's own

unaccompanied by others; alone or unaided: she’s not here now and I have to do things on my own these are exercises one can do on one’s own

Phrasal Verbs

own up

admit to having done something wrong or embarrassing: he owns up to few mistakes

Origin:

Old 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