ownership

noun

Definition of ownershipnext
as in control
the state or fact of owning something Home ownership is on the rise in this country. The café is now under new ownership.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ownership In 2020, 117 Assyrian families in the Nahla Valley lost access to 75 percent of their lands after the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq reversed a law intended to protect Assyrian ownership. — David Faris, Newsweek, 17 Mar. 2025 Mayor Michelle Wu has denied the privatization claim, pointing to a lease agreement that sees the city maintain ownership of the 76-year–old White Stadium, which the National Women’s Soccer League expansion team will share use of with Boston Public Schools. — Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 17 Mar. 2025 The big picture: Fast-expanding private equity ownership in health care around the U.S. has been associated with higher prices, increased medical debt, lower quality and financial harm that has led to the closure of safety-net hospitals. — Tina Reed, Axios, 17 Mar. 2025 And though the sample — as well as the MAPP rover — will stay on the moon indefinitely, NASA has agreed to pay $1 to take ownership of the sample. — Jackie Wattles, CNN, 6 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ownership
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ownership
  1. control
  2. keeping
  3. proprietorship
  4. possession
  5. power
Noun
  • Boston, which trailed 4-1 in the opening period, tried to generate momentum for a comeback in the second period and enter the third period with control of the game.
    — Julian McKenzie, The Athletic, 14 Mar. 2025
  • The Miami Herald retains editorial control of all work.
    — Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 13 Mar. 2025
Definition of control
Noun
  • Go for Consistency In the keeping room, Salmon continued the kitchen’s blue-and-green theme, topping a custom octagonal table with a skirt made with Thibaut and Soane fabrics and dressing a chandelier (found at an estate sale) in block print shades.
    — Diana Oates, Southern Living, 13 Mar. 2025
  • The steel-rod reinforcement does double duty keeping joints tight and gap free and adding stability at each corner as well as anchoring the home to the ground.
    — Miles Walls, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Mar. 2025
Definition of keeping
Noun
  • True Detective's Cary Joji Fukunaga directed the film, but since Craig's departure and the recent shake-up in proprietorship, no new Bond or Bond director has yet been announced.
    — Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 5 Mar. 2025
  • In 1961, the Soviet Union’s Yuri Gagarin became the first man up there, sparking an immediate bidding war with the US for proprietorship of the moon.
    — Damon Wise, Deadline, 8 July 2024
Definition of proprietorship
Noun
  • After a throw-in, and a quick possession win on the left side of midfield, Thommy drove a pass across the field to Shapi Suleymanov.
    — Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 9 Mar. 2025
  • Farmers Insurance has started making payments for furniture, clothes and other possessions.
    — Jeffrey Fleishman, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2025
Definition of possession
Noun
  • This dispatchable energy from batteries stabilizes the U.S. power supply.
    — Ian Dexter Palmer, Forbes, 20 Mar. 2025
  • Lastly, love it or hate it, but the return to office is in full swing, meaning WFH loungewear is taking a backseat to power suits, both on your feed and in real life.
    — Jailynn Taylor, Essence, 19 Mar. 2025
Definition of power

Browse Nearby Words

ownership
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ownership.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ownership. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on ownership

Nglish: Translation of ownership for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about ownership

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Words You Always Have to Look Up
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
See More

Popular Features

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
dog-in-disguise
Rhyme Disguise Quiz Pair up words that look different but sound alike.
See All