I. ˈōn adjective
Etymology: Middle English owen, from Old English āgen; akin to Old High German eigan own, Old Norse eiginn; derivative from the root of Old English āgan to possess, own — more at owe
1. : belonging to oneself or itself — usually used following a possessive case or pronoun to emphasize or intensify the idea of property, peculiar interest, or exclusive ownership, and usually with reflexive force
my own father
his own composition
2. — used to specify an immediate or direct relationship
an own brother
an own cousin
own sister to the queen
3. — used to indicate or intensify the idea of one's own self as agent or doer
cooked his own meal
acted as his own lawyer
•
- be one's own man
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
transitive verb
1. : to have or hold as property or appurtenance : have a rightful title to, whether legal or natural : possess
2.
a.
(1) : to acknowledge as one's own
own a fault
which the author had once owned as her habitat — C.W.Ferguson
(2) of a mother animal : to acknowledge (offspring) as one's own by nursing and taking care of
b. archaic : to acknowledge as an acquaintance : give recognition to
c. archaic : to lay claim to : claim for one's own
3. archaic : to manifest one's approval or acceptance of : countenance
4.
a. : to acknowledge (someone or something) to be what is claimed : concede to be true or valid : admit , recognize
own a debt
owned him to be their master
would not own his mistake
b. : to acknowledge the supremacy or authority of : yield obedience to
intransitive verb
: admit , confess — used with to
an old gentleman who owned to eighty-six years — Osbert Sitwell
wouldn't own to knowin' me these days — Rex Ingamells
Synonyms: see acknowledge , have
•
- own the line
III. pronoun, singular or plural in construction
: one or ones belonging to oneself — used after a possessive
gave out books so that each student had his own
•
- get one's own back
- into one's own
- on one's own
IV. transitive verb
: to have power or mastery over (as in competition)
a pitcher can virtually own one team and … have so little success against another — Sport