possessed by

Idioms  

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

When Ben Rosenfeld started working as a residential assistant at a Stanford University dorm, he encountered 77 freshmen possessed by an “all-consuming” force.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 10, 2026

They say the apple never falls far from the tree, although in the case of Eder Sarabia the skills he inherited were different to those possessed by his father Manu.

From BBC • Oct. 31, 2025

It’s 20 years for me and Jer writing together, and I’d never felt more possessed by it.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 7, 2025

“Fights, Camera, Action” features an excerpt of a 1988 interview with the woman whose toaster is allegedly possessed by Satan, featured on the “Today” show.

From Salon • Jan. 7, 2025

“She said she had been possessed by a shave for stealing, but a spirit medium drove it out.”

From "The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm" by Nancy Farmer