"owt" means anything. It is one of many casual words teens pick up from friends, social media, music or sport, and on its own it carries no particular warning. If you hear your teen use it, it is fair to ask what they mean by it in their friend group, since meanings drift quickly. Asking out of curiosity rather than alarm tends to keep the conversation open and useful.
Seen in the wild
"Like what 'owt' and 'nowt' mean." McLelland and Dafoe were picked for the school by the ambitious head, Gareth Dawkins, who, along with other Bradford heads, found he was not able to recruit enough good-quality teach…
If an [internal link](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:WhatLinksHere/OWT&namespace=0) incorrectly led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.
Owt=Anything Nowt= Nothing.<br>"Do you want owt from the shop?".
Definitions
Anything. "Owt going on tonight?" The companion to "nowt."
“Owt=Anything Nowt= Nothing.<br>"Do you want owt from the shop?".”
"Want owt from the shop?"
"owt" means anything. It is one of many casual words teens pick up from friends, social media, music or sport, and on its own it carries no particular warning. If you hear your teen use it, it is fair to ask what they mean by it in their friend group, since meanings drift quickly. Asking out of curiosity rather than alarm tends to keep the conversation open and useful.
"owt" is informal English meaning anything. It is used widely across English varieties. A more formal or neutral equivalent would be something like "anything" expressed in standard vocabulary. A common mistake is to assume "owt" can replace its standard equivalent in every register; keep it for spoken or casual situations and use the formal form in writing. If you are a B2 or C1 learner, it is useful to recognise this word when you hear or read it, but think carefully about whether the situation really calls for it before using it yourself.
“"Like what 'owt' and 'nowt' mean." McLelland and Dafoe were picked for the school by the ambitious head, Gareth Dawkins, who, along with other Bradford heads, found he was not able to recruit enough good-quality teachers.”
“If an [internal link](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:WhatLinksHere/OWT&namespace=0) incorrectly led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.”
“Owt=Anything Nowt= Nothing.<br>"Do you want owt from the shop?".”
Comments
For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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🇬🇧About British & Irish slang slang
UK and Irish slang — Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Yorkshire, Glaswegian, Brummie, Welsh, West Country, plus Irish English. Centuries of regional dialects feeding into modern British and Irish street talk.
See all British & Irish slang slang on Slangora.
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Other words near "owt" (O)
Browse all slang words starting with O.
Related terms
People also read
Semantically related
- nowt66%
Nothing. "Nowt to do with me." Northern English; quintessentially Yorkshire.
- owtte63%
(Internet slang, text messaging, exam mark schemes) Or words to that effect.
- anythang62%
(slang) anything.
- nowt60%
A person of no importance; a worthless person; a ne'er-do-well.
- nowt58%
A dumb, crass, or clumsy person, or a person who is difficult or stubborn.