owe

Everyday

1. To have to pay back money that someone lent you. tree →
2. To have to give or do something for someone because of what they did: «I owe you a favour». tree →
3. To have something because of someone: «I owe my success to my coach». tree →

In the lessons

In maths and money lessons, owing means a debt: if you borrowed $5 and paid back $3, you still owe $2 (subtract). In manners, «I owe you one» means you will help back. Phrases: «owe someone money», «owe someone an apology», «owing to» (because of).

Examples

• I owe my brother two dollars. tree →
• You owe me an apology. tree →
• Thanks for helping — I owe you one! tree →
• He borrowed $10 and paid back $6, so he owes $4. tree →
• We owe our safety to the lifeguard. tree →
• The match was cancelled owing to rain. tree →
• “But I owe money to several people.” tree →

Note

Past: owed. Pronounced like «oh». «Owing to» = because of. Maths: amount owed = amount borrowed − amount paid back.