Meaning & use
pre-owned
Last updated
UK/ˌpriː ˈəʊnd/
US/ˌpriː ˈoʊnd/
Meaning
adjectivebefore a nouneuphemistic
Having had a previous owner; not new.
Grammar: Comes before a noun: pre-owned car, pre-owned phone. It is not usually used after a verb.
Patterns
- pre-owned + noun
He bought a pre-owned car to save money.
The shop sells pre-owned phones and tablets.
She prefers pre-owned furniture because it is cheaper and often better made.
Common combinations
- pre-owned car
- The dealership has a wide range of pre-owned cars.
- pre-owned vehicle
- A pre-owned vehicle can be a good deal if it is inspected.
- certified pre-owned
- This certified pre-owned laptop comes with a warranty.
- pre-owned goods
- The market sells pre-owned goods at low prices.
Synonyms and how they differ
- used
- Used is the plain, everyday word; pre-owned sounds more formal and positive, often used in advertising.
- second-hand
- Second-hand is very similar but can sound slightly less polished than pre-owned.
Opposites
Commonly confused: pre-owned or pre-owned?
pre-owned vs pre-owned
Not the same as owned, which simply means possessed by someone.
Practice
Which sentence uses pre-owned correctly?
Choose one answer.
Pre-owned is an adjective that goes before a noun, so 'a pre-owned bicycle' is correct. It is not a verb, so options 1 and 4 are wrong, and option 3 uses it after a verb.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pre-owned”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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