be owned

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العربية الفصحى
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/bi ˈoʊnd/
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A passive phrase for being possessed or controlled, with later technical and internet-slang uses for compromised systems and decisive defeat.
Practice using be owned in conversation until it feels natural

Examples

  • Her comeback was so sharp that the heckler was owned instantly.
  • The test server was owned after the old plugin was exploited.
  • A weak password meant the account could be owned in minutes.
  • Some coastal land can be owned privately, while other areas remain public.
  • The patched service should no longer be owned through that bug.

Similar words

be dominated
be in possession of
be pwned
get smoked
be possessed by
be held by
belong to
be breached
be taken over
get crushed

Meanings

Belong to someone as property

legal
neutral
To be held by a person, company, government, or other owner, especially with legal title or recognized control.

Examples

  • The apartment building is owned by a local housing trust.
  • All shares in the subsidiary will be owned by the parent company.
  • The copyright is owned by the photographer, not the magazine.
  • Some coastal land can be owned privately, while other areas remain public.
  • By next year, the fleet may be owned outright instead of leased.
  • The patent was once owned by a small research lab.
  • The museum says the painting is owned by an anonymous collector.

Similar words

belong to
be held by
be possessed by
be controlled by
be titled to
be in possession of

Be compromised by an attacker

cybersecurity
technical
To have a computer, account, or system taken over or exposed through unauthorized access.

Examples

  • A weak password meant the account could be owned in minutes.
  • The test server was owned after the old plugin was exploited.
  • If the laptop is owned, stored tokens may be stolen.
  • The researcher showed how the router could be owned remotely.
  • Once the database was owned, the attackers copied customer records.
  • The patched service should no longer be owned through that bug.
  • Nobody noticed that the backup account had been owned for weeks.

Similar words

be compromised
be hacked
be breached
be taken over
be pwned
be exploited

Be decisively defeated or embarrassed

gaming
slang
To be beaten, outplayed, or publicly embarrassed in a way that makes the loss feel complete.

Examples

  • Keep rushing alone and you will be owned by the other team.
  • He was owned in the rematch after bragging all week.
  • The clip shows the champion getting completely owned.
  • Nobody wants to be owned on a live stream.
  • Her comeback was so sharp that the heckler was owned instantly.
  • If the defense stays that slow, they are going to be owned.
  • The meme works because the overconfident villain gets owned.

Similar words

get crushed
be dominated
be humiliated
be pwned
get wrecked
be trounced
get smoked

Etymology

Built from be plus owned, the past participle of own. Own goes back to Old English forms meaning possessed, while the internet senses grew from slang own meaning dominate and the later respelling pwn.

FAQ

What does be owned mean in property contexts?

Be owned means that something belongs to, is held by, or is legally controlled by an owner.

What does be owned mean in cybersecurity?

In security slang, be owned means that a system, account, or device has been compromised or taken over.

What does be owned mean in gaming slang?

In gaming and online slang, be owned means to be decisively defeated, embarrassed, or outplayed.

Is be owned formal?

The property sense can be formal, but the security and defeat senses are informal or technical slang.

What is the difference between be owned and own?

Own is the active verb, as in the company owns the building. Be owned is passive, as in the building is owned by the company.

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