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

That blast was also Muncy’s 229th as a Dodger, moving him into sole possession of No. 5 on the franchise’s all-time list.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

Still, he insists he knows a demonic possession when he sees one.

From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026

Spain dictated possession for much of the afternoon while Argentina defended stubbornly, forcing the final into extra time before the breakthrough finally came.

From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026

I can’t blame anyone who feels unfairly treated in this scenario: They owe tax on $20,000 they didn’t ask to be withheld and never had possession of the funds.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 19, 2026

Our team had possession of the ball in our own half of the field.

From "Facing the Lion" by Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton and Herman Viola

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

Lugging suitcases across the border after packing up in Pakistan, Afghans are returning home with their worldly possessions but often lack one key item to restart their lives: an identity card.

From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026

As of June 12, he had been waiting three days for a ride with only a single bag of possessions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026

Odin took Hel down to the lightless world, and he showed her the immense hall in which she would receive her subjects, and watched as she named her possessions.

From "Norse Mythology" by Neil Gaiman

Related Words

• custody