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Glite Dictionary
to own the place

to own the place

20 7.9
Act as if you control the place
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : creerse el dueño del lugar
  • And not for nothin', that Irish guy, he walks around here like he owns the place.
  • think you own the place
  • act like I own the place
  • around like he owns the place

Examples

  • Katelyn: All they do is hang out here and act like they own the place.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • But who was this stranger, acting like he owned the place?

    Fiction book (2001)

  • - But I-- - I own the place.

    Licorice Pizza (2021)

  • It's worse than that, I own the place.

    The Author, The Star and The Keeper (2020)

  • I mean, if you want, I own the place so I can just kind of kick everybody out.

    Royal Façade (2024)

  • Laura was her name, and she acted like she owned the place.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • Although he's never been here, the industrialist comes in like he owns the place.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Unfortunately, it was right then that they appeared, strutting proudly down the hall, as if they owned the place.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • "Let's make Purple Jesuses!" he shouted, striding from room to room like he owned the place.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • When he walked into the meeting, he acted like he owned the place and dismissed everyone's ideas.

Synonyms

to lord over
vsto own the place
  • Informal
8 7.5

To treat other people as if you are better than them

implies confident entitlement within a place rather than general superiority
to lord it over
vsto own the place
  • Informal
6 8.2

Act as if you are better than other people

focuses on claiming authority and entitlement in a setting
to queen it over
vsto own the place
  • UK
9.9

Behave as if others are less important

is more about feeling entitled and ruling a specific place

Antonyms

humble
222 2.8

Not proud and not thinking you are better than others

submissive
38 5.1

Willing to obey others and not argue

How Confident

to dominate
48 3.7
to own the place
  • Informal
20 7.9
to stand out
244 3.2
at ease
106 1.7
to blend in
20 3.7

Surface Forms

own the place infinitive
owned the place past
owned the place past participle
owning the place present participle
owns the place third person singular

Morphology

own + the + place

The meaning requires interpreting 'own' metaphorically as 'dominate' or 'take control' rather than its literal legal-possession sense; while 'the place' clearly indicates a setting, the shift from possession to social dominance is a figurative extension that a B1 learner may not predict. Because the relation to the constituent meanings is partly transparent (possession → control) but relies on idiomatic/metaphorical usage, this is best classified as semi-transparent.

Etymology

Own the place comes from the picture of someone who really owns a place walking through it like they are 'in charge' and people move aside because the owner can do what they want. That's why own the place means 'to act very confident or like you are in charge'.