Owe Verb - Definition, Pictures, Pronunciation And Usage Notes

Oxford logo Toggle navigation Redeem Upgrade Help Sign in

• Dictionaries
  • Dictionaries home
  • English
  • American English
  • Academic
  • Collocations
  • German-English
• Grammar
  • Grammar home
  • Practical English Usage
  • Learn & Practise Grammar (Beta)
• Word Lists
  • Word Lists home
  • My Word Lists
  • Topics
  • Recent additions
• Resources
  • Resources home
  • Text Checker

Sign in Dictionaries

• Dictionaries home
• English
• American English
• Academic
• Collocations
• German-English

Grammar

• Grammar home
• Practical English Usage
• Learn & Practise Grammar (Beta)

Word Lists

• Word Lists home
• My Word Lists
• Topics
• Recent additions

Resources

• Resources home
• Text Checker

Redeem Upgrade Help TOP English English American English Academic English Collocations Practical English Usage German-English English-German English American English Enter search text

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

owe verb   /əʊ/  /əʊ/not used in the progressive tensesVerb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they owe	/əʊ/  /əʊ/
he / she / it owes	/əʊz/  /əʊz/
past simple owed	/əʊd/  /əʊd/
past participle owed	/əʊd/  /əʊd/
-ing form owing	/ˈəʊɪŋ/  /ˈəʊɪŋ/

jump to other results

1.   to have to pay somebody for something that you have already received or return money that you have borrowed
   • owe somebody something She still owes her father £3 000.
   • (figurative) I'm still owed three days' leave.
   • owe something He owes more money than he can afford to pay.
   • Exactly how much do we owe?
   • owe something to somebody She still owes £3 000 to her father.
   • The country owes billions of dollars to foreign creditors.
   • owe something to somebody for something Most hospitals owe money to pharmaceutical companies for medicines and equipment.
   • owe somebody something for something How much do I owe you for the groceries?
   Topics Moneyb2

   Definitions on the go

   Look up any word in the dictionary offline, anytime, anywhere with the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app.

   
2.   to feel that you ought to do something for somebody or give them something, especially because they have done something for you
   • owe something to somebody I owe a debt of gratitude to all my family.
   • You owe it to your staff to be honest with them.
   • I owe a duty to my family.
   • owe somebody something You owe me a favour!
   • Thanks for sticking up for me—I owe you one (= I owe you a favour).
   • I think you owe us an explanation.
   • I think we're owed an apology.
   The passive is not used in this meaning except with a person as the subject: An apology is owed to us.
3. to exist or be successful because of the help or influence of somebody/something
   • owe something to somebody/something He owes his success to hard work.
   • The play owes much to French tragedy.
   • I owe everything to him.
   • The town owes its existence to the minerals that lie below the mountains.
   • owe somebody something I owe him everything.
   • I knew that I owed the surgeon my life.
4. owe allegiance/loyalty/obedience (to somebody) (formal) to have to obey and support somebody who is in a position of authority or power
   • All serfs owed allegiance to a lord.
   More Like This Verbs with two objectsVerbs with two objects
   • bet
   • bring
   • build
   • buy
   • cost
   • get
   • give
   • leave
   • lend
   • make
   • offer
   • owe
   • pass
   • pay
   • play
   • post
   • promise
   • read
   • refuse
   • sell
   • send
   • show
   • sing
   • take
   • teach
   • tell
   • throw
   • wish
   • write
Word OriginOld English āgan ‘own, have it as an obligation’, of Germanic origin; from an Indo-European root shared by Sanskrit īs ‘possess, own’.

See owe in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee owe in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic EnglishCheck pronunciation: owe

Nearby words

• ovum noun
• ow exclamation
• owe verb
• Owen
• Robert Owen

significant adjective From the Word list OPAL written words Oxford Learner's Dictionaries Word of the Day