Basic English Words: Big, Where, Same, All, Own

What does “on your own” mean in English?

On your own means you do something alone. No other person is there. No one helps you. You can say I live on my own. This means you live alone. You can also say I did it on my own. This means you did it with no help. We change the word your to match the person. I am on my own. He is on his own. She is on her own. It is a very common, friendly phrase.

In the clip, a woman walks in the mountains. The speaker says She is hiking on her own. There is no other person with her. Then he sees a dog and says the man is not on his own, because the dog is with him.