chown

C3H4O1W4N1

verb

To change the owner of (a file or directory).

Less commonScrabble 13
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Meanings

verbchown (third-person singular simple present chowns, present participle chowning, simple past and past participle chowned)

present singular third person chowns · participle present chowning · participle past chowned · past chowned

  1. UnixtransitiveLinuxTo change the owner of (a file or directory).

    When chowning a file, simply use: chown flags username:groupname

    2006, Eric Rosebrock, Eric Filson, Setting up LAMP (page 49)

Origin

From the name of the program for this purpose, short for "change owner".

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

chown. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chown

MLA

“chown.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chown. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “chown,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chown.

Source: chown on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.