possessed by

Idioms

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Flaubert and Balzac, according to Mr. Delbourgo, were a new kind of buyer, the “Romantic collecting self,” possessed by status anxiety but lacking great wealth.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 24, 2025

Dressed in MJ's Billie Jean outfit, she pirouetted and moonwalked and jumped on the tables as if she'd been possessed by the man himself.

From BBC • Feb. 3, 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’d be compelling even if she wasn’t possessed by a contagious demon.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 6, 2024

The idea that Lefty, who shared her eyes and eyebrows, who slept in the bed beside hers, could be possessed by such a desire had never occurred to Desdemona before.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023