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

Police say Sararat, dubbed Am Cyanide by Thai media, had a gambling addiction and targeted friends she owed money to, then stole their jewellery and valuables.

From BBC

Some £3.7bn is collectively owed to energy suppliers from people unable to pay their gas and electricity bills, for example.

From BBC

But income was well down last year and this year will be even worse, says factory owner Abd al-Rahman Khalifa, as even fewer farmers are able to harvest their crop owing to attacks by settlers.

From BBC

The money is owed to people who tripped on broken sidewalks or crashed their bikes on crumbling asphalt, had property damaged by potholes or falling tree branches, and suffered other mishaps involving city infrastructure.

From Los Angeles Times

This means people in larger properties will tend to pay more overall owing to higher energy usage, and those in smaller properties tend to pay less.

From BBC

Related Words

• incur