owe
v.v. to need to pay someone back because they gave you money or did something for you. You use this when you have a debt or a duty to someone.
v. to be under an obligation to pay or repay something, such as money, gratitude, or services, in return for something received. Transitive; frequently used in a ditransitive structure with both a direct and indirect object.
I still owe you ten dollars for lunch.
After all the help you gave me during the move, I definitely owe you a big favor.
While the company technically owes its success to a single breakthrough patent, the management team deserves credit for navigating the subsequent regulatory hurdles with such precision.
From Middle English owen, from Old English āgan, from Proto-West Germanic aigan (“to own”), from Proto-Germanic aiganą, from Proto-Indo-European h₂eh₂óyḱe (“to possess, own”), reduplicated stative of h₂eyḱ- (“to own”). See also own, ought. Cognate with Sanskrit ईष्टे (īṣṭe, “to own, possess”).
The verb is transitive and often takes two objects: the person (indirect) and the thing owed (direct).
I owe to you ten dollarsI owe you ten dollarsWhen followed by a person and an amount, 'owe' does not require the preposition 'to' between the verb and the person.