ought

ought — verb

1. to own or have something as one's property — used in older or formal English ins

1.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

to own or have something as one's property — used in older or formal English instead of the modern verb 'possess' or 'own'.

Example

In 1687 Lord Ashworth of Northumberland ought a vast estate along the River Tyne.

archaic transitive: person + ought + property

The old manuscript from Prague ought strange symbols that no one could read.

Common collocations
  • ought + estate / land / property / title / wealth
Synonyms
  • own

    the standard modern equivalent for having legal possession of something

  • possess

    slightly more formal than 'own', but still fully current in modern English

  • hold

    emphasises physical control or legal title rather than mere ownership

Antonyms
  • lack

    to be without something that one might be expected to have

Grammar Patterns

ought + noun phrase

Usage Note

This sense survives mainly in historical fiction, legal texts from earlier centuries, and biblical or liturgical language. In modern English, use 'own', 'possess', or 'have' instead.

Common Mistakes

She ought a lovely house in the suburbs.' (modern context)
She owned a lovely house in the suburbs.
'ought' in the sense of 'possess' sounds unnatural in everyday modern English; use 'own' or 'have'.

2. to be under an obligation to pay or give something to someone — a formal or arch

2.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

to be under an obligation to pay or give something to someone — a formal or archaic way of saying 'owe'.

Example

The Portuguese kingdom ought General Vasco a lasting debt of gratitude for his service in the colonies.

double object: ought someone something

I ought the village elders a full explanation of why I had ordered the bridge destroyed.

Common collocations
  • ought + a debt / an apology / an explanation / gratitude / allegiance
Synonyms
  • owe

    the standard modern equivalent; fully current in all registers

Grammar Patterns

ought + someone + something

ought + something + to + someone

Usage Note

Like the 'possess' sense, this use is archaic or highly literary. In contemporary English, use 'owe' instead (e.g., 'I owe you an apology'). The past tense is 'ought' (identical form) in the archaic paradigm.

Common Mistakes

I ought him fifty dollars.' (modern borrowing context)
I owed him fifty dollars.
in modern financial contexts, use 'owe/owed' not 'ought'.

ought — noun

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All three words describe something a person is expected to do. 'Duty' is the broadest and most common — it covers moral, legal, and role-based expectations (e.g., 'jury duty,' 'duty of care'). 'Obligation' has a stronger contractual or rule-based flavour: you can have a legal obligation to pay tax, but you feel a moral duty to help a friend. 'Responsibility' focuses on the person who is answerable for an outcome: a parent has a responsibility to raise their child. The noun 'ought' is the rarest of the group and appears almost exclusively in formal or literary writing, where it names a deeply felt inner moral demand. For example, a soldier might speak of the 'ought of honour' — a duty that goes beyond what any rule book requires.

duty ↗obligation ↗responsibility ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

  • do one's ought
  • feel an ought
  • the ought of [honour / conscience / duty]

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'ought' comes from Old English 'āhte', the past tense of 'āgan' (to own, possess, have). In early Middle English, the past-tense form gradually took on a present-tense meaning. From the sense of 'owing' or 'being indebted' grew the idea of moral obligation — what one 'owes' to others or to a higher standard. The noun 'ought' (meaning 'duty') emerged in the 1500s as a direct nominalisation of this moral sense. The modern modal verb 'ought to' developed from the same root, originally meaning 'owed to'.