owe in WordNet English dictionary

1. be in debt
   "She owes me $200"; "I still owe for the car"; "The thesis owes much to his adviser"
   owe 
   
2. be obliged to pay or repay
   owe 
   
3. be indebted to, in an abstract or intellectual sense
   "This new theory owes much to Einstein's Relativity Theory"
   owe