owe

[ oh ]

verb (used with object)

, owed, ow·ing.

1. to be under obligation to pay or repay:

   to owe money to the bank; to owe the bank interest on a mortgage.

2. to be in debt to:

   He says he doesn't owe anybody.

3. to be indebted (to) as the cause or source of:

   to owe one's fame to good fortune.

4. to have or bear (a feeling or attitude) toward someone or something:

   to owe gratitude to one's rescuers.

5. Obsolete. to possess; own.

verb (used without object)

, owed, ow·ing.

1. to be in debt:

   Neither lend nor owe. Who owes for the antipasto?

owe

/ əʊ /

verb

1. to be under an obligation to pay (someone) to the amount of
2. intr to be in debt

   he still owes for his house

3. often foll by to to have as a result (of)

   he owes his success to chance

4. to feel the need or obligation to do, give, etc

   to owe somebody thanks

   to owe it to oneself to rest

5. to hold or maintain in the mind or heart (esp in the phrase owe a grudge )

Word History and Origins

Origin of owe¹

before 900; Middle English owen to possess, be under obligation, have to pay; Old English āgan to possess; cognate with Old High German eigan, Old Norse eiga. See own, ought ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of owe¹

Old English āgan to have (C12: to have to); related to Old Saxon ēgan, Old High German eigan

Example Sentences

“I’ve had a lucky career and done a lot of wonderful things, but ‘Parks’ was so above and beyond anything else, and I feel like I owe so much to this show,” says O’Heir, who appeared on the series throughout its 2009-15 run.

From Los Angeles Times

“Officers owe a special duty and have a special obligation to keep the trust of the citizens they police,” Judge Wesley L. Hsu, who handed down the sentence, said at the hearing Friday.

From Los Angeles Times

A future administration could decide that those borrowers still owe their unpaid balances, with interest, even after they’ve made the requisite number of monthly payments.

From Los Angeles Times

“I owe so much to you for seeing me and making me know I could go all the way,” Allen wrote on Instagram.

From Los Angeles Times

“That principle, as much as any other, distinguishes democracy from monarchy or tyranny, and anyone who seeks the public trust must honor it. At the same time, in our nation, we owe loyalty not to a president or a party, but to the Constitution of the United States.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• incur