I. own 1 S1 W1 /əʊn $ oʊn/ BrE AmE adjective , pronoun [always after a possessive]
1 . used to emphasize that something belongs to or is connected with a particular person or thing and not any other:
Bring your own equipment.
Every dance has its own rhythm.
The yacht was intended for the King’s own personal use.
His face was only a few inches from her own.
of your own
We have problems of our own.
I’d like to have a place of my own (=my own home) .
your very own (=used to add more emphasis)
One day I want to have a horse of my very own.
something to call your own/which you can call your own (=something that belongs to you)
She just wanted a place to call her own.
2 . used to emphasize that someone did or made something without the help or involvement of anyone else:
She makes a lot of her own clothes.
We encourage students to develop their own ideas.
It’s your own fault for leaving the window open.
3 . (all) on your own
a) alone:
I’ve been living on my own for four years now.
He didn’t want to be left on his own.
b) without anyone’s help:
You can’t expect him to do it all on his own.
I can manage on my own, thanks.
4 . for your own good/safety/benefit etc if you do something for someone’s own good etc, you do it to help them even though they might not like it or want it:
I’m only telling you this for your own good.
He was kept away from the other prisoners for his own safety.
5 . too nice/clever etc for your own good used to say that someone has too much of a good quality so that it may be a disadvantage:
Stephen can be too generous for his own good.
6 . get your own back (on somebody) informal to do something bad to someone who has harmed you, as a way of punishing them ⇨ revenge :
She wanted to get her own back on Liz for ruining her party.
7 . be your own man/woman to have strong opinions and intentions that are not influenced by other people:
Hilary’s very much her own woman.
8 . make something your own to change or deal with something in a way that makes it seem to belong to you:
Great singers can take an old song and make it their own.
⇨ come into your own at ↑ come 1 (6), ⇨ hold your own at ↑ hold 1 (24)
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GRAMMAR
Use own only after possessive words such as 'my', 'John’s', 'the company’s' etc:
▪
Few of them got back to their own country (NOT the own country).
Do not say 'an own car/room/computer etc'. Say a car/room/computer etc of your own :
▪
He soon had enough money to buy a truck of his own.
II. own 2 S2 W2 BrE AmE verb [transitive not in progressive]
[ Word Family: verb : ↑ own , ↑ disown ; noun : ↑ owner , ↑ ownership ]
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: agnian , from agen 'own' ]
1 . to have something which belongs to you, especially because you have bought it, been given it etc and it is legally yours ⇨ possess :
The building is owned by the local council.
You need to get permission from the farmer who owns the land.
Many more people now own their own homes.
the cost of owning a car
publicly/privately owned British English (=belonging to the government or a private organization)
a privately owned company
2 . as if/as though/like you own the place informal to behave in a way that is too confident and upsets other people:
She acts like she owns the place!
They walked in as if they owned the place.
3 . old-fashioned to admit that something is true
own (that)
I own that I judged her harshly at first.
own to
I must own to a feeling of anxiety.
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THESAURUS
▪ own if you own something, it legally belongs to you:
They live in a flat but they don’t own it.
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The land is owned by farmers.
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a privately owned plane
▪ have [not in passive] to own something – used when focussing on the fact that someone has the use of something, rather than the fact that they legally own it:
How many students have a cell phone?
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I wish I had a sports car.
▪ possess [not in passive] formal to own something:
It is illegal to possess a firearm in Britain.
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I don’t even possess a smart suit!
▪ belong to somebody/something [not in passive] if something belongs to you, you own it:
The ring belonged to my grandmother.
▪ hold to own shares in a company:
One man holds a third of the company’s shares.
▪ be the property of somebody/something formal to be owned by someone – written on signs, labels etc:
This camera is the property of the BBC.
own up phrasal verb
to admit that you have done something wrong, especially something that is not serious:
Come on, own up. Who broke it?
own up to (doing) something
No one owned up to breaking the window.
He was too frightened to own up to his mistake.
He still wouldn’t own up to the fact that he’d lied.