own

/oun/

Definition

Adjective:
- Belonging to oneself or itself: Used to emphasize that something belongs to or is associated with the person or thing mentioned. It is always used after a possessive adjective (my, your, his, her, its, our, their) or a noun in the possessive case.
- Done or produced by oneself: Used to indicate that something is done or made by the person mentioned, without help from others.
Verb (transitive):
- To have or possess something as property: To have legal title and control over an asset, object, or idea.
- To acknowledge or admit something: To recognize or confess the truth or existence of a fact or feeling.

Usage Examples

Adjective:
- This is my own house. (This house belongs specifically to me.)
- She bakes her own bread. (She makes the bread herself.)
- Every country has its own traditions. (Each country has traditions particular to itself.)
Verb:
- He owns a successful company. (He is the legal possessor of a company.)
- I must own that I made a mistake. (I must admit that I made a mistake.)

Advanced Usage

"To come into one's own": to achieve recognition, success, or one's full potential.
- She really came into her own as a director with that film.
"To hold one's own": to maintain one's position or condition adequately, especially in a difficult situation.
- Despite the competition, our company is holding its own.

Variants and Related Words

Owner (n): A person who owns something.
- The dog's owner was looking for it.
Ownership (n): The act, state, or right of possessing something.
- The ownership of the land is disputed.

Synonyms

Related Phrasal Verbs

Own up (to something): to confess or admit responsibility for something, especially something wrong.
- You should own up to breaking the window.
Own to (something): (formal) to admit something.
- He owned to a feeling of jealousy.

Related Idioms

On one's own:
- Alone; by oneself.
  - She lives on her own.
- Independently; without help.
  - He built the shed on his own.
- Responsible for oneself.
  - You're on your own now.
A room of one's own: A place or space for oneself, implying the need for privacy and independence. (Popularized by Virginia Woolf's essay.)
To get one's own back (on someone): (informal) to get revenge on someone.
- He was determined to get his own back on the people who had betrayed him.

Adjective

belonging to or on behalf of a specified person (especially yourself); preceded by a possessive
- for your own use
- do your own thing
- she makes her own clothes
- `ain' is Scottish

Verb

have ownership or possession of
- He owns three houses in Florida
- How many cars does she have?

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