own (owns 3rd person present) (owning present participle) (owned past tense & past participle )
1 adj You use own to indicate that something belongs to a particular person or thing.
poss ADJ
My wife decided I should have my own shop..., He could no longer trust his own judgement..., His office had its own private entrance.
Own is also a pronoun., pron poss PRON
He saw the Major's face a few inches from his own.
2 adj You use own to indicate that something is used by, or is characteristic of, only one person, thing, or group.
poss ADJ
Jennifer insisted on her own room..., I let her tell me about it in her own way..., Each nation has its own peculiarities when it comes to doing business.
Own is also a pronoun., pron poss PRON
This young lady has a sense of style that is very much her own.
3 adj You use own to indicate that someone does something without any help from other people.
poss ADJ
They enjoy making their own decisions..., He'll have to make his own arrangements.
Own is also a pronoun., pron poss PRON
There's no career structure, you have to create your own.
4 verb If you own something, it is your property.
His father owns a local pub... V n
5 If you have something you can call your own, it belongs only to you, rather than being controlled by or shared with someone else.
to call sth your own phrase
I would like a place I could call my own.
6 If someone or something comes into their own, they become very successful or start to perform very well because the circumstances are right.
come into one's/its own phrase V inflects
The goalkeeper came into his own with a series of brilliant saves...
7 If you get your own back on someone, you have your revenge on them because of something bad that they have done to you.
(mainly BRIT)
INFORMAL
to get your own back phrase V inflects, oft PHR on n
Renshaw reveals 20 bizarre ways in which women have got their own back on former loved ones.
8 If you say that someone has a particular thing of their own, you mean that that thing belongs or relates to them, rather than to other people.
of one's own phrase n PHR
He set out in search of ideas for starting a company of his own.
9 If someone or something has a particular quality or characteristic of their own, that quality or characteristic is especially theirs, rather than being shared by other things or people of that type.
of one's own/all of one's own phrase n PHR
The cries of the seagulls gave this part of the harbour a fascinating character all of its own.
10 When you are on your own, you are alone.
on one's own phrase PHR after v, v-link PHR
(=alone)
He lives on his own..., I told him how scared I was of being on my own...
11 If you do something on your own, you do it without any help from other people.
on one's own phrase PHR after v
I work best on my own., ...the jobs your child can do on her own.
12
→
to hold your own
→
hold own up phrasal verb If you own up to something wrong that you have done, you admit that you did it.
(=admit)
The headmaster is waiting for someone to own up... V P
Last year my husband owned up to a secret affair with his secretary. V P to n/-ing
