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

Corona del Mar took possession and ran off the one second to win.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

The first, and most impressive, came on the Lions’ first possession of the second half.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

Pedro Porro, known for his ability to create chances, took up a more central role in possession for Spain this summer as they won the World Cup.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

Spurs' shape in possession can look like a 2-3-2-3.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

Not only had Mother seen them, he once had them in his possession.

From "City Spies" by James Ponti

The Lions’ defense, which had allowed Bishop Amat to score on four of its five first-half possessions, then stiffened, forcing the Lancers to punt.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

His possessions included his phone and rucksack, which contained a laptop, some school material, and a book he was reading, 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos by Jordan Peterson.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

Saddam Ali escaped from Al-Waziyah with his 11 children and a few possessions crammed into a small pick-up truck.

From Barron's ● Sep. 12, 2026

But either route can potentially result in the loss of their possessions and even their home if disaster strikes, the Consumer Federation of America said.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026

We threw sticks for Bo, and we talked and laughed together and shared our relief that it had been Hugo and not Hannie that had caught us with her secret possessions!

From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler

Related Words

• custody