possessed by

1. Driven by, obsessed with, as in He was possessed by the idea of becoming a millionaire. This idiom employs possess in the sense of “dominate one's thoughts or ideas,” a usage dating from the late 1500s.

Example Sentences

He’s filthy, his white shirt is covered in blood, and Berta can’t tell if he’s possessed by the devil or out of his mind.

From Los Angeles Times

At the helm was Osbourne, who channeled the darker forces within this music with hypnotic wild-child abandon, as if he were possessed by the hellfire spirit.

From Salon

That system has entrenched a dangerous double standard, creating perverse incentives for the proliferation of world-destroying weaponry, already possessed by nine countries.

From Salon

They may become so disoriented and possessed by terror that they hit the person who is trying to save them.

From Salon

Officials warn that existing systems have not kept pace with increasingly sophisticated weapons possessed by potential adversaries.

From BBC