oweoweowesowedowingverb (owes, owing, owed)pronunciationThe word owe sounds like go. 1to have to pay money to somebody: I lent you $10 last week and $10 the week before, so you owe me $20.2to have something because of a particular person or thing: He owes his life to the man who pulled him out of the river. She owes her success to hard work.