possession

American  

[puh-zesh-uhn] / pəˈzɛʃ ən /

noun

• possessions
  plural

1. the act or fact of possessing.

   Synonyms:

   occupation, tenure

2. the state of being possessed.

3. ownership.

4. Law. actual holding or occupancy, either with or without rights of ownership.

5. a thing possessed.

   He packed all his possessions into one trunk.

6. possessions, property or wealth.

7. a territorial dominion of a state.

8. Sports.

   1. physical control of the ball or puck by a player or team.

      He didn't have full possession when he was tackled.

   2. the right of a team to put the ball into play.

      They had possession after the other team sank a free throw.

9. control over oneself, one's mind, etc.

10. domination, actuation, or obsession by a feeling, idea, etc.

11. the feeling or idea itself.

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possession British  

/ pəˈzɛʃən /

noun

1. the act of possessing or state of being possessed

   in possession of the crown

2. anything that is owned or possessed

3. (plural) wealth or property

4. the state of being controlled or dominated by or as if by evil spirits

5. the physical control or occupancy of land, property, etc, whether or not accompanied by ownership

   to take possession of a house

6. a territory subject to a foreign state or to a sovereign prince

   colonial possessions

7. sport control of the ball, puck, etc, as exercised by a player or team

   he lost possession in his own half

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Synonym Usage

See custody.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonpossession
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• possessions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of possession

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Latin possessiōn-, stem of possessiō “occupancy, act of occupying,” from possess(us) “occupied” (past participle of possidēre “to have in one's control, occupy,” from pos-, combining form of pot(is) “able” + -sidēre, combining form of sedēre “to sit”) + -iō -ion; see also host ¹, sit ¹

Explanation

A possession is something that belongs to you. If you've got a special rubber ducky, that’s one of your possessions, and it may even be your prized possession. Possession is all about control: if you have possession of something, you own it, or have your hands on it. If your house keys are in your possession, you know where they are. In soccer being in possession means having control of the ball; in hockey, it’s having your stick on the puck. A possession can also be a territory controlled by another government, as Puerto Rico is a possession of the United States.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

possession possessions

He also wants his team to be intense pressers but have "real mastery in possession".

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

Out of possession is where we see the biggest changes from Maresca when compared to his time at Chelsea.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

I slipped out of bed to peer into the brown bag holding my new undercover possession when I suddenly realized I didn’t remember bringing the bag home.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

With teams more likely to sit deep against Liverpool, having lots of possession is a newer challenge Iraola has to tackle.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

“I have in my possession the Pentagon Papers,” Gravel declared.

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin

The passengers’ extra clothing was wrapped in a mattress cover, and in the center of the group stood a few cans of beans and two sacks of flour — all their remaining possessions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026

Roh uploaded photos of her wedding dress, luxury handbags and other possessions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

Going into the judges dressing rooms and taking some of their prized possessions might not be the best way of getting them on your side.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

This highlights the changing nature of holistic planning, which encompasses a lot more than just your funeral wishes and what happens to your most cherished possessions.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026

Instead he stood awkwardly in the doorway, looking obviously uncomfortable to be surrounded by the personal effects and intimate possessions of women.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

Related Words

• custody