preowned or pre-owned

Meanings

1. 1adjectivebefore a noun

   Having had a previous owner; used, but usually still in good condition.

   Grammar: Comes before the noun and is not normally used after a linking verb: say a pre-owned phone, not the phone is pre-owned.

   Patterns

   • a pre-owned car
   • pre-owned goods
   • buy something pre-owned

   She bought a pre-owned sedan with only thirty thousand miles on it.

   The shop sells pre-owned phones that have been checked and cleaned.

   Buying pre-owned furniture saved them a lot of money when they moved.

2. 2adjectivebefore a nouneuphemistic

   Used to describe something that has already been owned and then sold again.

   Grammar: A polite commercial word; it sounds softer and more positive than plain "used".

   Patterns

   • pre-owned merchandise
   • a pre-owned item
   • sell something pre-owned

   The website lists thousands of pre-owned items at half the original price.

   Dealers often describe secondhand cars as pre-owned to make them sound better.

Common combinations

pre-owned vehicle

The lot was full of pre-owned vehicles in good condition.

certified pre-owned

A certified pre-owned laptop comes with a short warranty.

pre-owned market

The pre-owned market for games has grown quickly.

buy pre-owned

Many students buy pre-owned textbooks to save money.

pre-owned goods

The store accepts returns on pre-owned goods within a week.

Synonyms and how they differ

secondhand

The everyday word; it is more direct and slightly less polished than pre-owned.

used

The plainest term and the most common in speech, but it can sound less flattering in advertising.

gently used

Describes an item that shows very little wear, and it is even softer than pre-owned.

Opposites

Word family

own verb

To have something as your property.

owner noun

The person who possesses something.

ownership noun

The state of having something as your own.

Commonly confused: preowned or pre-owned or preloved?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “preowned or pre-owned”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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