repossess

[ree-puh-zes]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR repossess ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to possess again; regain possession of, especially for nonpayment of money due.

to put again in possession of something: to repossess the Bourbons of their throne.

Origin of repossess

First recorded in 1485–95; re- + possess

Related formsre·pos·sess·a·ble, adjectivere·pos·ses·sion

[ree-puh-zesh-uh n] /ˌri pəˈzɛʃ ən/, nounre·pos·ses·sor, nounun·re·pos·sessed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for repossess

retake, recover, retrieve, recapture, reclaim, reacquire

Examples from the Web for repossess

Historical Examples of repossess

The government resolved to repossess New Orleans and Mobile.
Harper's Young People, September 7, 1880
Various
Cordelia lands with French troops to repossess Lear of his kingdom.
William Shakespeare
John Masefield
Here there was clearly no aggression: he was only attempting to repossess his own.
The Admiral
Douglas Sladen
As he spoke she had but one thought, to repossess herself of the note.
Eden
Edgar Saltus
I freely own that I'd give all the rest willingly to repossess myself of the Monsoon treaty.
Charles Lever, His Life in His Letters, Vol. II (of II)
Edmund Downey

British Dictionary definitions for repossess

repossess

verb (tr)

to take back possession of (property), esp for nonpayment of money due under a hire-purchase agreement

to restore ownership of (something) to someone

Derived Formsrepossession (ˌriːpəˈzɛʃən), nounrepossessor, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for repossess

late 15c., "to reoccupy;" see re- "back, again" + possess. Meaning "take back from a purchaser who defaults on payments" first recorded 1933. Related: Repossessed; repossessing.