owed
word · lemma: owe
/ˈoʊd/
ohd
/ˈəʊd/
ohd
Definition
Past tense of 'owe'. It means to have had a duty to pay someone money, or to have felt that something should be given to someone because of help, kindness, or responsibility.
Usage & Nuances
Common patterns are 'owed someone money', 'owed a debt', and 'owed someone an apology/thanks/explanation'. 'Owed to' appears in formal phrases like 'The delay was owed to bad weather', but 'due to' is more common there. Don't confuse it with 'owned'.
Spanish: debía - debía pagarPortuguese (BR): devia - estava devendoPortuguese (PT): devia - tinha a pagarChinese (Simplified): 欠 - 应付Chinese (Traditional): 欠 - 應付Hindi: देना था - बकाया थाArabic: كان مدينًا بـ - كان عليه أن يدفعBengali: ঋণী ছিলাম - পাওনা ছিলRussian: был должен - задолжалJapanese: 借りがあった - 借りていたVietnamese: nợKorean: 빚졌다 - 빚이 있었다Turkish: borçluydu - borcu vardıUrdu: مقروض تھا - احسان مند تھاIndonesian: berutang - berhutang
Example Sentences
Honestly, I owed her more thanks than I ever said.
natural
I owed my friend ten dollars.
basic
She owed her teacher an apology.
basic
We owed a lot for the repairs.
basic
I knew I owed him a call after he helped me move.
natural
They finally paid me back what they owed me.
natural