repossess

[ree-puh-zes]

verb (used with object)

1. to regain ownership of; to take back, especially for failure to make due payment.

   After the first few payments, the buyer defaulted on the contract, and we were forced to repossess the piano.

2. to give (someone) ownership of something again; restore something to (used withof ).

   In 1814, a coalition of European powers defeated Napoleon and repossessed the ousted Bourbons of their throne.

repossess

/ ˌriːpəˈzɛʃən, ˌriːpəˈzɛs /

verb

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

2. to restore ownership of (something) to someone

Other Word Forms

• repossessable adjective
• repossession noun
• repossessor noun
• unrepossessed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of repossess¹

First recorded in 1485–95; re- + possess

Example Sentences

The stories of people facing court proceedings to repossess their homes have been shared with the BBC as mortgage repossessions reach a five-year high.

Read more on BBC

Seeking to repossess a home is "always a last resort" for lenders, said Karina Hutchins, a principal in the mortgage policy team at UK Finance, a trade association for the banking and financial services sector.

Read more on BBC

More than 11,000 households in England had their homes repossessed by bailiffs following a section 21 eviction in the year to June.

Read more on BBC

Mobile home buyers were defaulting on their loans, their mobile homes were being repossessed, and the people who had lent them money were receiving fractions of the original loans.

Read more on Literature

Caviness, 33, said he has been repossessing cars his entire adult life.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• retake