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adj B1 Intermediate Common

owing

OH-ihng

Owing (adj) means Still needing to be paid. Example: “There is a balance of two hundred pounds owing on the invoice.”

adj
1
Still needing to be paid.
"There is a balance of two hundred pounds owing on the invoice."

How to use owing

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishNot yet paid; still due.

Common mistake

Often used in the phrase "owing to," meaning "because of" — a different use from "still owed."

Common pairings
owing to amount owing balance owing
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There is a balance of two hundred pounds _____ on the invoice.

Related words

Rhymes for owing

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Frequently asked questions

What does “owing” mean?

The word “owing” means still needing to be paid. In plain terms, not yet paid; still due.

How do you pronounce “owing”?

“Owing” is pronounced OH-ihng (/ˈoʊ.ɪŋ/ in IPA).

How do you use “owing” in a sentence?

Here is “owing” used in a sentence: “There is a balance of two hundred pounds owing on the invoice.”

What part of speech is “owing”?

“Owing” is an adjective.

Is “owing” a common word?

“Owing” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

What is the difference between owing and owing to?

Owing alone functions as an adjective meaning still needing to be paid, as in the balance owing, while owing to is a compound preposition meaning because of, as in the delay was owing to bad weather. The two uses are grammatically distinct despite sharing the same word.

What is the difference between owing and owed?

Owing and owed both describe money that still needs to be paid and are frequently interchangeable, as in rent owing versus rent owed, though owing is often placed after the noun it describes, as in the amount owing.

Is owing to formal or informal?

Owing to is a fairly formal way of expressing cause, more common in written or official English than in casual speech, where because of or due to are more typical.

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