Advertisement

View synonyms for

owe

[oh]

verb (used with object)

owed, owing 
  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, owing 
  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 )

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of owe1

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of owe1

Old English to have (C12: to have to); related to Old Saxon ŧ, Old High German eigan
Discover More

Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Years of using Bill Plaschke’s notoriously incorrect Super Bowl predictions for betting guidance has led me to believe that Bill owes me, as well as his many devoted readers, a significant debt.

From

“No one should be left in uncertainty, forced to fight for what they are owed, or face endless delays that often lead consumers to give up.”

From

Nearly 43 million Americans owe a combined $1.6 trillion in student debt, according to figures from the U.S.

From

But the Conservatives criticised the lack of support for a new M4 relief road, while Plaid Cymru said the cash was "merely a drop in the ocean compared to the billions Wales is owed".

From

“The Burkean response — a representative ‘owes you not his industry only but his judgement, and he betrays you if he sacrifices it to your opinion’ — has some merit.

From

Advertisement

Related Words

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


Owatonnaowelty