Owe I Owed əʊ Money Father Verb Days

• she still owes her father £3 000.
• i'm still owed three days' leave.
• he owes more money than he can afford to pay.
• exactly how much do we owe?

owe

Verb Forms

1. to have to pay somebody for something that you have already received or return money that you have borrowed
• She still owes her father £3 000.
• I'm still owed three days' leave.
• He owes more money than he can afford to pay.
• Exactly how much do we owe?
• She still owes £3 000 to her father
• The country owes billions of dollars to foreign creditors.
• Most hospitals owe money to pharmaceutical companies for medicines and equipment.
• How much do I owe you for the groceries?
2. to feel that you ought to do something for somebody or give them something, especially because they have done something for you
• I owe a debt of gratitude to all my family.
• You owe it to your staff to be honest with them.
• I owe a duty to my family.
• You owe me a favour!
• Thanks for sticking up for me—I owe you one (= I owe you a favour).
• I think you owe us an explanation.
• I think we're owed an apology.
3. to exist or be successful because of the help or influence of somebody/something
• He owes his success to hard work.
• The play owes much to French tragedy.
• I owe everything to him.
• The town owes its existence to the minerals that lie below the mountains.
• I owe him everything.
• I knew that I owed the surgeon my life.
4. to have to obey and support somebody who is in a position of authority or power
• All serfs owed allegiance to a lord.

Word Origin

• Old English āgan ‘own, have it as an obligation’, of Germanic origin; from an Indo-European root shared by Sanskrit īs ‘possess, own’.