Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense owes, present participle owing, past tense, past participle owed
1. verb
If you owe money to someone, they have lent it to you and you have not yet paid it back. You can also say that the money is owing.
The company owes money to more than 60 banks. [VERB noun + to]
Blake already owed him nearly £50. [VERB noun noun]
I'm broke, Livy, and I owe a couple of million dollars. [VERB noun]
He could take what was owing for the rent. [VERB]
2. verb [no passive]
If someone or something owes a particular quality or their success to a person or thing, they only have it because of that person or thing.
I always suspected she owed her first job to her friendship with Roger. [VERB noun to noun]
He owed his survival to his strength as a swimmer. [VERB noun + to]
The fruit owes its extraordinary aroma to a mixture of three main chemicals. [VERB noun to noun]
The city essentially owes its fame and beauty to the Moors who transformed it intothe Muslim capital of Spain. [VERB noun to noun]
I owe him my life. [VERB noun noun]
3. verb
If you say that you owe a great deal to someone or something, you mean that they have helped you or influenced you a lot, and you feel very grateful to them.
As a professional composer, I owe much to Radio 3. [V n to]
He's been fantastic. I owe him a lot. [VERB noun noun]
4. verb
If you say that something owes a great deal to a person or thing, you mean that it exists, is successful, or has its particular form mainly because of them.
She is the first to admit that her career path owes a lot to good fortune. [V n to]
Mrs Allen's style of cooking owes much to her mother-in-law. [V amount to n]
5. verb
If you say that you owe someone gratitude, respect, or loyalty, you mean that they deserve it from you.
[formal]
Perhaps we owe these people more respect. [VERB noun noun]
I owe you an apology. You must have found my attitude very annoying. [VERB noun noun]
I owe a big debt of gratitude to her. [VERB noun + to]
6. verb [no passive]
If you say that you owe it to someone to do something, you mean that you should do that thing because they deserveit.
I can't go. I owe it to him to stay.
You owe it to yourself to get some professional help.
Of course she would have to send a letter; she owed it to the family.
7.
See owing to sth
8. the world owes someone a living
More Synonyms of owe
owe in British English
(əʊ)
verb(mainly tr)
1.
to be under an obligation to pay (someone) to the amount of
2. (intransitive)
to be in debt
we still owe for the holiday
3. (often foll by to)
to have as a result (of)
I owe my 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 origin
Old English āgan to have (C12: to have to); related to Old Saxon ēgan, Old High German eigan
owe in American English
(oʊ)
verb transitiveWord forms: owed or ˈowing
1.
to have an obligation to pay; be indebted to the amount of
2.
to have or feel the need to do, give, etc., as because of gratitude
3.
to have or cherish (a certain feeling) toward another
now only in owe a grudge
4.
to be indebted to someone for the existence of
5. Obsolete
to own; have
verb intransitive
6.
to be in debt
Word origin
ME owen < OE agan, to own, possess, have, akin to Goth aigan, OHG eigan < IE base *ēik-, to have as one's own, be capable (of) > Sans *īśē, (he) possesses
Examples of 'owe' in a sentence
owe
You will not have to pay your new supplier any money you owed to your old supplier.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Management and union leaders owe this much to the steel workers.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
He made no secret of the directly architectural debt he owed to the prints.
Smithsonian Mag (2017)
The collapse has also led to friction with cab companies which are owed money.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
All of them owe a creative debt to mathematics.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Her transformation owed a great deal to the strength and sense of stability that she derived from their marriage.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The rebound from the July wobbles owed something to the sterling safety valve.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It owes much to maths, and has given much back.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
We owe him a lot.
The Sun (2016)
I owe a lot to him.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
She went shoplifting to raise cash to pay rent arrears and money owed to her boyfriend.
The Sun (2015)
The fact that he is still with us owes much to chance.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
This owed something to her gender and uncertain status.
Linda Colley The Ordeal of Elizabeth Marsh: A Woman in World History (2007)
We owe a lot to a lot of people.
The Sun (2012)
This country owes a huge debt of gratitude to these people.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The very fact that people are visiting either owes a great deal to science.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Many in public life owe him much.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The trick is to realise that you owe something to your audience.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
We owe a lot of that to the ancients.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
In the past we understood the debt we owe dogs.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
She owes a great deal to her.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
He owed a lot of money and they could empty it pretty quickly.
The Sun (2009)
If you owe money, make sure you have included a cheque for the tax due.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
This is as much in their interest as in football's and those owed money by the club.
The Sun (2012)
These people had profited from him and owed him gratitude rather than criticism, but still they bitterly fought him.
Christianity Today (2000)
In the glare of publicity, this has brought home to all of us the debt of gratitude we owe the armed forces.
The Sun (2008)
The former Olympic champion may now have been overtaken, but a debt of gratitude is owed to her by the vibrant new star of her sport.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
In other languages
owe
British English: owe /əʊ/ VERB
If you owe money to someone, they have lent it to you and you have not yet paid it back.