possess
Americanverb (used with object)
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possesses,
present (3rd person singular)
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possessed,
past participle, past
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possessing
present participle
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to have as belonging to one; have as property; own.
to possess a house and a car.
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to have as a faculty, quality, or the like.
to possess courage.
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(of a spirit, especially an evil one) to occupy, dominate, or control (a person) from within.
He thought he was possessed by devils.
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(of a feeling, idea, etc.) to dominate or actuate in the manner of such a spirit.
He was possessed by envy.
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(of a man) to succeed in having sexual intercourse with.
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to have knowledge of.
to possess a language.
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to keep or maintain (oneself, one's mind, etc.) in a certain state, as of peace, patience, etc.
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to maintain control over (oneself, one's mind, etc.).
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to impart to; inform; familiarize (often followed by of orwith ).
to possess someone of the facts of the case.
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to cause to be dominated or influenced, as by an idea, feeling, etc.
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to make (someone) owner, holder, or master, as of property, information, etc..
He possessed them of the facts.
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to seize or take.
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to gain or win.
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to occupy or hold.
verb
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to have as one's property; own
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to have as a quality, faculty, characteristic, etc
to possess good eyesight
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to have knowledge or mastery of
to possess a little French
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to gain control over or dominate
whatever possessed you to act so foolishly?
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(foll by of) to cause to be the owner or possessor
I am possessed of the necessary information
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(often foll by with) to cause to be influenced or dominated (by)
the news possessed him with anger
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to have sexual intercourse with
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rare to keep control over or maintain (oneself or one's feelings) in a certain state or condition
possess yourself in patience until I tell you the news
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archaic to gain or seize
Synonym Usage
See have.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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possesssimple
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possessessimple
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have possessedperfect
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has possessedperfect
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am possessingprogressive
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are possessingprogressive
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is possessingprogressive
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have been possessingperfect progressive
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has been possessingperfect progressive
Past
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possessedsimple
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had possessedperfect
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was possessingprogressive
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were possessingprogressive
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had been possessingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of possess
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English possesen, from Middle French possess(i)er, noun derived from possession possession
Explanation
To possess something is to have or own it. You can possess a physical object, you can possess a particular quality or skill, or you can possess control or influence over someone. Related words are possessive (describing those who hold onto people or things in a controlling way), and possessed, as in a person being possessed by an idea or even by a demon. This verb is from Middle French posséder "to own," from Latin possidēre, from potis "able, having the power" plus sedēre "to sit."
Vocabulary lists containing possess
The SAT: Language of the Test, List 6
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Christmas Carol Vocab: A Lyrical Lexicon
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The New SAT: The Language of the Test
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Much has been made of the network of contacts both Bevington and sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel possess.
From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2026
"They now possess greater motivation, commitment, and self-confidence."
From Barron's ● Nov. 7, 2026
After being looked after financially by her for so many years, he is reported to possess neither a bank account nor a social security card.
From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026
New research has revealed that fire salamanders possess an unexpected ability to fluoresce under ultraviolet light.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 28, 2026
For all the talk in the late 1920s about the links between genes and identity, the gene itself appeared to possess little identity of its own.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
With explosive power and supreme athleticism, the 24-year-old American already possesses weapons which can inflict serious damage.
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026
He’s 6 feet 1 and 190 pounds, and definitely possesses the fearless gene the way he attacks defenders when he has the ball.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026
"It possesses bird-like pelvic and hindlimb structures yet retains the specialized predatory foot and teeth of a small meat-eating dinosaur. It shows us that early bird evolution was far more complicated than we previously realized."
From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026
Maybe so, and the Tom Brady depicted here surely possesses some of that, demonstrated by an anecdote about him setting a bone-crushing pick in an intramural basketball game.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
Of course her load is heavy; these bags contain everything she possesses in the world.
From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline
Using genetically modified mice, the team selectively changed whether these neurons possessed the receptors.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 7, 2026
Markle has strongly denied allegations that he has possessed images of child abuse.
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026
But he also possessed technical expertise, editing chops and a keen sense of story.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
No charges have been announced, and investigators have not publicly established that Markle Sr. possessed the alleged material.
From Salon ● Oct. 25, 2026
If the cottonmouths hadn’t been enraged before, they were now, determined to destroy the possessed branch that had just bludgeoned three of their friends.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
Without proper context, grounding, and safeguards, “the LLM agent is a virtually unlimited liability, possessing a nearly unbounded destructive potential and a blast radius that tends towards infinity,” he writes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026
It comes after three students were caught wearing or possessing smart glasses during institution-administered essay exams at universities in Seoul.
From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026
Deitch describes McGee as possessing “a unique kind of charisma.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
Markle, who is based in the US, denies possessing any such images.
From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026
She felt a fierce joy possessing her, that she could command these immortal presences.
From "The Subtle Knife" by Philip Pullman
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
