Meaning of own in English

own

determiner, pronoun

/əʊn/ us

/oʊn/

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belonging to or done by a particular person or thing:

Each neighbourhood in New York has its own characteristics.

I'd like to have my very own apartment.

He wanted an apartment of his own.

She makes all her own clothes.

I'm going to be out tonight, so you'll have to make your own dinner (= prepare it yourself).

Was that your own idea or did someone suggest it to you?

You'll have to make up your own mind (= decide by yourself) what you want to do.

I'd never have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes/heard it with my own ears.

"Is that your mum's car?" "No, it's my own (= it belongs to me)."

James Joyce wrote in a style that was all his own (= that was not like that of anyone else).

We like to take care of our own (= take care of people who are members of our family, or who work for us).

(all) on your own

alone:

I like living on my own.

B1 mainly UK

without any help:

I did my buttons up all on my own, Dad .

in your own time

mainly UK

If you do something in your own time, you do it at the speed at which you want to work:

I like to do things in my own time - I don't like to be rushed.

(US on your own time)

during the time when you are not officially working:

You may only use company computers to access the Web in your own time.

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They have no children of their own, but they're hoping to adopt.
Now you can watch the latest films in the comfort of your own room.
She said that she didn't want a lawyer and was going to conduct her own defence.
Her death made him more aware of his own mortality.
We now have our very own post office in the village.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Particular and individual

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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Having and owning - general words

Grammar

Own

Own is a determiner and a pronoun. …

Idioms

be your own person/woman/man
come into your own
for its own sake
get your own back (on someone)
get your own way
make something (all) your own
on your own head be it

own

verb

/əʊn/ us

/oʊn/

own verb (HAVE LEGALLY)

B1 [ T not continuous ]

to have something that legally belongs to you:

We own our house.

I've never owned a suit in my life.

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They own 20% of the company's stock.
Who owns/holds the copyright on this article?
She owns a popular tourist restaurant on the town's waterfront.
The house is partly owned by her father.
I get a real kick out of owning my own car.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Having and owning - general words

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own verb (ADMIT)

[ I ] old-fashioned

to admit:

[ + (that) ] I own (that) I was not very happy with the group's decision.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Admitting & confessing

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own verb (DEFEAT/DO WELL)

[ T ] mainly US informal

to defeat someone completely or be much better than him or her; to perform extremely well:

Last time we played them, we owned them!

Beyoncé owned that stage tonight!

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Winning and defeating

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own verb (ACCEPT)

[ T ]

to accept and be responsible for something:

It's your life - own it.

I own who I was, and so I’m always open to admitting fault and talking through it.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Accepting & agreeing

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Idiom

as if you owned the place

Phrasal verb

own up

(Definition of own from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

own | American Dictionary

own

adjective

/oʊn/

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belonging to or done by a particular person or thing:

Mary has her own car.

You’ll have to fix your own dinner.

The police testified that the woman left of her own accord (= she chose to do it without being forced).

Idioms

in your own right

on your own

own

verb [ T ]

/oʊn/

to have or possess something:

We own some property in Texas.

owner

noun [ C ] us

/ˈoʊ·nər/

Will the owner of the gray Ford parked in front of the restaurant please move it?

Phrasal verb

own up

(Definition of own from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

own | Business English

own

verb [ T ]

/əʊn/ us

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to have something that legally belongs to you:

He has owned the business since 1995.

The group owns assets worth $620 million.

This gave many people the opportunity to own their own home for the first time.

to accept responsibility for something such as an idea:

For the reorganization to work, employees need to own the idea of change.

own

adjective

/əʊn/ us

belonging or relating to a particular person rather than to other people:

She started her own business selling cameras.

The software helps you create your own website.

He invested €5 million of his own money.

(Definition of own from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of own

own

Indeed, this is a classic book, still owned by many players.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

His approach to psychopathology was sceptical and philosophical; and he never created his own school of psychiatric, let alone psychopathological, teaching.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Here was a version of philosophical commerce closer to our own definition of the word "commerce," yet one intimately related to practice.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

On the other hand, each form has its own unique onset and rime, which means that no form benefits from phonetic consistency.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Instead, the person seeking self-insight must employ a priori causal theories to account for his or her own psychological operations.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Moreover, human individuals and institutions "invest," metaphorically, or even literally, in other individuals or institutions to enhance their own returns.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Our own compendium takes these into account, adding several revisions and new identifications.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The degree is delivered by the institution in which the student is registered, following its own regulations.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

It presents arguments for the relevance of the child's own production for the building of linguistic representations.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

However, rural reform has not abolished such ruralism but replaced it with its own version.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Parents' own health risk behaviours were correlated with those reported for their children.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Some reported a change in their own behavior toward their spouses, such as being more considerate and less argumentative.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

According to this definition - ideology-as-shorthand - it should have been no more difficult to assess a party's positions than to formulate one's own ideology.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The remaining parties agreed to pay their own costs.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

It helps me to think things through systematically and adopt resolve to take action, and it reminds me of my own past thinking.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

See all examples of own

These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

What is the pronunciation of own?