INDEX:
1. to own something
2. when someone owns something
3. the person who owns something
4. the things that someone owns
5. to say you have a right to be the legal owner or something
RELATED WORDS
on your own : ↑ ALONE
see also
↑ HAVE/NOT HAVE
◆◆◆
1. to own something
▷ own /əʊn/ [transitive verb not in progressive]
if you own something, especially something big like a house, a car, or a company, it is your property and you have the legal right to have it :
▪ We don’t own the apartment, we’re just renting it.
▪ Clark owns about 40 companies in northern Europe.
▪ They stayed in a villa once owned by the writer, Somerset Maugham.
privately owned
owned by an individual person, not by a company or government
▪ In National Parks, although the land is privately owned, there are strict controls on the use of the land.
▷ have also have got especially British /hæv, həv ˈgɒtǁ-ˈgɑːt/ [transitive verb not in progressive]
to own something, especially something that ordinary people are likely to own :
▪ We don’t have a T.V.
▪ How many of your students have a computer?
▪ What kind of car has she got?
▪ I’ve worked hard for everything I’ve got.
▷ possess /pəˈzes/ [transitive verb not in progressive] formal
to own something - use this especially in negative sentences to say that someone does not own something that most people own :
▪ Very few families in this area possess a telephone.
▪ He never wore a suit - I don’t think he possessed one.
▪ Because of his gambling, he lost everything he possessed.
▷ control/have control of /kənˈtrəʊl, hæv kənˈtrəʊl ɒv/ [transitive verb/verb phrase]
to own a larger part of a company than other people so that you have power to make decisions about that company :
▪ As well as owning Mirror Group Newspapers, the Maxwell Corporation also controlled several other businesses.
▪ The Johnson family has effective control of the company, owning almost 60% of the shares.
▷ hold /həʊld/ [transitive verb]
to own part of a company because you own a number of the equal parts into which it is divided :
▪ She works for Le Monde, where the staff hold a significant stake in the company.
▪ a situation in which a husband and wife both hold shares in a family company
holding [countable noun]
▪ Mr Davis has a 30% holding in owns 30% of Montague Enterprises.
▷ have a stake in /ˌhæv ə ˈsteɪk ɪn something/ [verb phrase not in progressive]
to own part of a company and therefore be able to have a share in the money it makes :
▪ Labatt beer has a 45% stake in the Blue Jays baseball team.
▪ She has a stake in her husband’s company, which she will have to give up if they divorce.
▷ interest /ˈɪntrɪst, ˈɪntrəst/ [countable noun]
if a person, company, or government has an interest in a business, they own part of that business :
interest in
▪ The bank has interests in several companies, including a 15% share of Morgan’s Brewery.
controlling interest
a large enough part of the company or business to give you the power to make decisions about it
▪ Although the government has made some shares in National Oil Products available, it intends to maintain its controlling interest.
2. when someone owns something
▷ belong to /bɪˈlɒŋ tuːǁ-ˈlɔːŋ-/ [transitive verb not in progressive]
if something belongs to someone, they own it :
▪ This watch belonged to my grandfather.
▪ Who does that Walkman belong to?
▪ A car believed to belong to the bank robbers was found abandoned yesterday.
▷ be the property of /biː ðə ˈprɒpəʳti ɒvǁ-ˈprɑː-/ [verb phrase] formal
to belong to someone - often written on books, clothes etc to show who owns them :
▪ This hymn book is the property of Pitt Street Methodist Church.
▪ If he defaults on the loan, the land will become the property of the bank.
▷ be mine/yours/John’s etc /biː ˈmaɪn/ [verb phrase]
if something is mine/yours/John’s etc, it belongs to me, you, John etc :
▪ ‘Hey, that’s my pen!’ - ‘Sorry! I didn’t know it was yours.’
▪ ‘Whose bike is that?’ ‘It’s Martin’s.’
▪ The money wasn’t Sara’s to lend you in the first place Sara didn’t have the right to lend it .
▷ my/your/his etc /maɪ, jɔːʳ, hɪz/ [determiner]
belonging to me, you, him etc :
▪ Please can you move your car? It’s blocking my driveway.
▪ I’ve got a problem with my dishwasher.
▪ My grandmother lives near your place -- just around the corner in fact.
▷ your own /jɔːr ˈəʊn/ []
belonging to you and not to anyone else :
▪ You can rent skis or you can bring your own.
▪ Joe left the company to set up his own business.
▷ of your own /əv jɔːr ˈəʊn/ [adjective phrase]
a room/car/computer etc of your own
one that belongs to you and no one else, especially when this is something you want to own :
▪ Our neighbours let us use their garage, but we really need one of our own.
▪ The charity provides accommodation for homeless people, and helps them find homes of their own.
▷ personal /ˈpɜːs ə nəlǁˈpɜːr-/ [adjective only before noun]
belonging only to you - used especially in official contexts :
somebody’s personal possessions/property/belongings
▪ The dead man’s personal possessions were sent back to his family.
my/their etc own personal
▪ You can arm and disarm the alarm system using your own personal access code.
3. the person who owns something
▷ owner /ˈəʊnəʳ/ [countable noun]
the person who owns something :
▪ The previous owner painted the outside of the house yellow.
owner of
▪ The owners of the company live abroad.
the proud owner of something
▪ He is the proud owner of two Olympic gold medals.
car/dog/home etc owner
▪ Car owners are facing a 10% rise in the price of gasoline.
▷ landlord/landlady /ˈlændlɔːʳd, ˈlændleɪdi/ [countable noun]
someone who owns a building and is paid money by the people who live in it or use it :
▪ Our landlord has promised to fix the heating by Tuesday.
▪ College accommodation offices provide lists of private landlords and landladies.
▷ proprietor /prəˈpraɪətəʳ/ [countable noun]
someone who owns and runs a business, especially a small business such as a shop or a restaurant :
▪ Eddy Shah, the former national newspaper proprietor
▪ My father had fallen victim to an unscrupulous garage proprietor.
proprietor of
▪ As proprietors of the general store, Mr and Mrs Stacey knew everything that went on in the town.
▷ householder /ˈhaʊsˌhəʊldəʳ/ [countable noun]
someone who owns or lives in a house - used especially in official or legal contexts :
▪ The police are giving advice to householders on how to improve the security of their homes.
▪ Householders and tradesmen both use the refuse dump to dispose of their garbage.
▷ home-owner /ˈhəʊm ˌəʊnəʳ/ [countable noun]
someone who owns their own home :
▪ The latest rise in interest rates is bad news for home-owners.
▪ The latest trend is for home-owners to carry out improvements before selling their properties.
4. the things that someone owns
▷ property /ˈprɒpəʳtiǁˈprɑː-/ [uncountable noun]
things someone owns, especially large expensive things such as houses, land, or cars :
▪ Some of the stolen property was discovered in an empty warehouse.
school/church/army etc property
▪ The boys have been charged with damaging school property.
private property
▪ Many state documents were considered as the officer’s private property.
▷ possessions /pəˈzeʃ ə nz/ [plural noun]
all the things that a person owns, which they keep in their home or carry with them :
▪ They lost all their possessions in the floods.
personal possessions
▪ Prisoners are allowed no personal possessions such as photographs of their families.
somebody’s most treasured/cherished/prized possessions
▪ One of my most treasured possessions is a small book of prayers.
▷ things spoken also stuff spoken informal /θɪŋz, stʌf/ [plural noun]
things such as clothes, records, books, furniture etc that you own :
somebody’s things/stuff
▪ She always leaves her things all over the floor.
▪ I don’t how know I’m going to fit all my stuff into the new apartment.
▷ belongings /bɪˈlɒŋɪŋzǁbɪˈlɔːŋ-/ [plural noun]
things you own such as clothes, equipment, bags etc, especially things you take with you when you are travelling somewhere :
▪ They packed all their belongings into the car and left the city that night.
personal belongings
▪ It doesn’t cost much to insure your personal belongings.
▷ assets /ˈæsets/ [plural noun]
property that a person or a company owns and which they would be able to sell if they needed money - used especially in legal or business contexts :
▪ The company has mining assets worth 8 billion Rand.
freeze somebody’s assets
not allow them to sell them
▪ The government announced that it had frozen the assets of three senior bank officials.
▷ worldly goods /ˌwɜːʳldli ˈgʊdz/ [plural noun]
all the things that you own - use this especially as a joke when you do not own much :
▪ Two old chairs, a broken jug, and half a candle: these were all his worldly goods.
▪ All her worldly goods were contained in four cardboard boxes.
5. to say you have a right to be the legal owner or something
▷ lay claim to /ˌleɪ ˈkleɪm tuː/ [verb phrase]
to say that you have a right to own something, especially something that is owned by someone else :
▪ Both Britain and Argentina lay claim to the Falkland Islands.
▪ A stranger who said he was my father’s brother had arrived to lay claim to his fortune.
▷ stake your claim /ˌsteɪk jɔːʳ ˈkleɪm/ [verb phrase]
to say publicly that you believe you have a right to own something, especially when other people also say they have a right to own it :
▪ If you want some of the furniture, now’s the time to stake your claim.