Owe Definition
ō
owed, owes, owing
verb
To have an obligation to pay; be indebted to the amount of.
Webster's New World
To have a moral or legal obligation to render or offer.
I owe them an apology.
American Heritage
To have or feel the need to do, give, etc., as because of gratitude.
Webster's New World
To be in debt.
Webster's New World
To have or cherish (a certain feeling) toward another.
Webster's New World
Synonyms:
- have signed a note for
- be in debt for
- be subject to draft for
- be under obligation
- have borrowed
- bind out
- have lost
- be contracted to
- feel bound
- get on credit
- become beholden
- be bound
- ought-to
- have an obligation
- be obligated to
idiom
owe it to oneself
- to be right in doing something, because it is to one's advantage
Webster's New World
Idioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Owe
- owe it to oneself
Origin of Owe
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From Middle English owen, from Old English āgan, from Proto-Germanic *aiganÄ…, from Proto-Indo-European *eik- (“ability, possession"). See also own, ought.
From Wiktionary
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Middle English owen from Old English āgan to possess aik- in Indo-European roots
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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