owe (something) to (someone or something)

owe (something) to (someone or something)

1. To be obliged to give or pay something back to someone or something else. I owe a new bike to David because I got his run over by a street cleaner. We owe about $1,500 to the bank for the loan we used to pay for our wedding.

2. To attribute one's possession or acquisition of something to someone or something else. I truly owe my happiness to you—I love you so much. The country owes its wealth and global influence to the vast mineral reserves buried in its hills.

See also: owe, to

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

owe to

v.

1. To be in debt by some amount to someone: I owe $100 to my brother.

2. To have something because of something or someone else: The family owed its wealth to oil. I owe my rosy complexion to my mother.

See also: owe, to

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs. Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.