- of, relating to, or belonging to oneself or itself (usually used after a possessive to emphasize the idea of ownership, interest, or relation conveyed by the possessive): He spent only his own money.
- (used as an intensifier to indicate oneself as the sole agent of some activity or action, preceded by a possessive): He insists on being his own doctor.
- to have or hold as one's own; possess: They own several homes.
- to acknowledge or admit: to own a fault.
- to acknowledge as one's own; recognize as having full claim, authority, power, dominion, etc.: He owned his child before the entire assembly. They owned the king as their lord.
- to totally defeat, gain control over, or dominate in a competition:I totally owned the last two levels of the game.He owned the season from beginning to end and took the world title.
- to take over a (a computer system, program, or computer) without authorization: The network has been owned by a hacker.
- to confess (often followed by to, up, or up to): The one who did it had better own up. I own to being uncertain about that.
- come into one's own,
- to take possession of that which is due or owed one.
- to receive the recognition that one's abilities merit: She finally came into her own as a sculptor of the first magnitude.
- to get revenge and thereby a sense of personal satisfaction, as for a slight or a previous setback; get even with somebody or something: He saw the award as a way of getting his own back for all the snubs by his colleagues.
- hold one's own,
- to maintain one's position or condition: The stock market seems to be holding its own these days.
- to be equal to the opposition: He can hold his own in any fight.
- belonging to oneself: She had never had a room of her own.
- on one's own,
- by dint of one's own efforts, resources, or sense of responsibility; independently: Because she spoke the language, she got around the country very well on her own.
- living or functioning without dependence on others; independent: My son's been on his own for several years.
- (intensifier)
- (as pronoun)
- on behalf of oneself or in relation to oneself
- come into one's own
- to become fulfilled
- to receive what is due to one
- to have revenge
- to maintain one's situation or position, esp in spite of opposition or difficulty
- on one's own
- without help
- by oneself; alone
- to have as one's possession
- to confess or admit; acknowledge
- to concede
