Owe Definition & Meaning

American

British

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms owe American [oh] / oʊ /

verb (used with object)

owed, owing

1. to be under obligation to pay or repay.

   to owe money to the bank; to owe the bank interest on a mortgage.

2. to be in debt to.

   He says he doesn't owe anybody.

3. to be indebted (to) as the cause or source of.

   to owe one's fame to good fortune.

4. to have or bear (a feeling or attitude) toward someone or something.

   to owe gratitude to one's rescuers.

5. Obsolete. to possess; own.

verb (used without object)

owed, owing

1. to be in debt.

   Neither lend nor owe. Who owes for the antipasto?

owe British / əʊ /

verb

1. to be under an obligation to pay (someone) to the amount of

2. (intr) to be in debt

   he still owes for his house

3. (often foll by to) to have as a result (of)

   he owes his success to chance

4. to feel the need or obligation to do, give, etc

   to owe somebody thanks

   to owe it to oneself to rest

5. to hold or maintain in the mind or heart (esp in the phrase owe a grudge )

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of owe

before 900; Middle English owen to possess, be under obligation, have to pay; Old English āgan to possess; cognate with Old High German eigan, Old Norse eiga. See own, ought 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He paid off the money owed two months later.

From MarketWatch

Assets across the board have endured a volatile start to February owing to a surge in the dollar, geopolitical tensions and the possibility of another US government shutdown.

From Barron's

Both owe their growth to changes in drinking habits.

From BBC

And the three dollars he owes me for lunch last week.

From Literature

January is usually a good month for punctuality owing to a relative lack of maintenance and building work on the tracks.

From Barron's

Related Words

• incur

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.