English · Word Candidate

owe

/əʊ/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: owes · owing · owed

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

To be under an obligation to give something back to someone or to perform some action for someone.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Nằm dưới nghĩa vụ phải trả lại hoặc thực hiện một hành động

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Verb

We owe it to our children to make our nation a better place to live in the future.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

To have debt; to be in debt.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Có nợ nần, nợ

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Verb

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

What does “owe” mean?

To be under an obligation to give something back to someone or to perform some action for someone.

Is “owe” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.