owe
To have to give money to someone because you borrowed it or used something of theirs.
To be under a legal or moral obligation to pay money to someone for goods, services, or as a debt.
To feel you should help or thank someone because they helped you.
To feel that you should do something for someone because they have helped you or done something good for you.
To say that something happened because of someone or something.
To say that someone or something is the reason for a particular result or situation.
- Base: owe
- 3rd Person Singular: owes
- Present Participle: owing
- Past: owed
owe it to yourself
1Do something good for yourself
To do something that will make you happy or healthy because you deserve it.
- You owe it to yourself to take a break after working so hard.
- She owes it to herself to follow her dream of traveling.
owe someone one
1Be obligated to return a favor
To need to do something nice for someone because they did something nice for you before.
- Thanks for covering my shift—I owe you one!
- He helped me move last weekend, so I definitely owe him one.
owe a debt of gratitude
1Feel deep gratitude toward someone
To feel very thankful for what someone has done for you.
- We owe a debt of gratitude to the volunteers who made this event possible.
- The community owes a debt of gratitude to the firefighters.
owe a debt of gratitude
2Deeply thankful obligation
To feel you must thank someone very much for helping you.
- We owe a debt of gratitude to the doctors who saved her life.
- I owe a great debt of gratitude to my mentors.