own

[ohn] /oʊn/
adjective
1.
of, pertaining 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.
2.
(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.
verb (used with object)
3.
to have or hold as one's own; possess:
They own several homes.
4.
to acknowledge or admit:
to own a fault.
5.
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.
verb (used without object)
6.
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.
Idioms
7.
come into one's own,
  1. to take possession of that which is due or owed one.
  2. to receive the recognition that one's abilities merit:
    She finally came into her own as a sculptor of the first magnitude.
8.
get one's own back, 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.
9.
hold one's own,
  1. to maintain one's position or condition:
    The stock market seems to be holding its own these days.
  2. to be equal to the opposition:
    He can hold his own in any fight.
10.
of one's own, belonging to oneself:
She had never had a room of her own.
11.
on one's own,
  1. 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.
  2. living or functioning without dependence on others; independent:
    My son's been on his own for several years.
Origin
before 900; (adj.) Middle English owen, Old English āgen (cognate with German eigen, Old Norse eigenn), orig. past participle of āgan to possess (see owe); (v.) Middle English ownen, Old English āgnian, āhnian, derivative of āgen
Related forms
nonowning, adjective
unowned, adjective
Synonyms
3. See have.
Antonyms
3. lack, need.
British Dictionary definitions for get one's own back

own

/əʊn/
determiner (preceded by a possessive)
1.
  1. (intensifier): John's own idea, your own mother
  2. (as pronoun): I'll use my own
2.
on behalf of oneself or in relation to oneself: he is his own worst enemy
3.
come into one's own
  1. to become fulfilled: she really came into her own when she got divorced
  2. to receive what is due to one
4.
(informal) get one's own back, to have revenge
5.
hold one's own, to maintain one's situation or position, esp in spite of opposition or difficulty
6.
on one's own
  1. without help
  2. by oneself; alone
verb
7.
(transitive) to have as one's possession
8.
when intr, often foll by up, to, or up to. to confess or admit; acknowledge
9.
(transitive; takes a clause as object) (rare) to concede: I own that you are right
Word Origin
Old English āgen, originally past participle of āgan to have; related to Old Saxon ēgan, Old Norse eiginn. See owe
Word Origin and History for get one's own back

own

adj.

Old English agen "one's own," literally "possessed by," from Proto-Germanic *aigana- "possessed, owned" (cf. Old Saxon egan, Old Frisian egin, Old Norse eiginn, Dutch eigen, German eigen "own"), from past participle of PIE *aik- "to be master of, possess," source of Old English agan "to have" (see owe).

v.

evolved in early Middle English from Old English geagnian, from root agan "to have, to own" (see owe), and in part from the adjective own (q.v.). It became obsolete after c.1300, but was revived early 17c., in part as a back-formation of owner (mid-14c.), which continued. Related: Owned; owning. To own up "make full confession" is from 1853.

Idioms and Phrases with get one's own back

get one's own back

see: get back at

own

also see: