owe
Third Person
owes
Present Participle
owing
Past Tense
owed
Past Participle
owed
1
to have the responsibility of paying someone back a certain amount of money that was borrowed
- I owe my friend $50 from last month when he covered my dinner expenses.
- She realizes she owes her sister a significant sum after borrowing money for car repairs.
- We owe the bank a monthly mortgage payment for our home loan.
- After borrowing funds for tuition, I now owe the student loan company a substantial amount.
- We owe a repayment to the neighbor who lent us money during a financial setback.
2
to carry a sense of gratitude, recognition, or indebtedness toward someone or something for intellectual or abstract contributions
- I owe my clarity of thought to the insightful teachings of my philosophy professor.
- The community owes a debt of appreciation to the pioneers who laid the foundation for its values.
- He feels he owes a debt of acknowledgment to the countless authors who shaped his literary perspective.
- She owes her leadership skills to the inspiring mentors who instilled confidence and provided guidance.
- The team owes its problem-solving skills to the collective intelligence fostered through open communication.
3
to be under an obligation to repay something, typically money, to a person, entity, or organization for something they have done
transitive
- The company owes its suppliers for the raw materials received.
- After the vacation, I realized I owe my friend for covering my share of the hotel expenses.
- The tenant acknowledges that they owe the landlord for repairing the damages caused during their stay.