repossess
Americanverb (used with object)
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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.
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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.
verb
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to take back possession of (property), esp for nonpayment of money due under a hire-purchase agreement
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to restore ownership of (something) to someone
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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repossesssimple
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repossessessimple
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have repossessedperfect
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has repossessedperfect
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am repossessingprogressive
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are repossessingprogressive
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is repossessingprogressive
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have been repossessingperfect progressive
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has been repossessingperfect progressive
Past
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repossessedsimple
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had repossessedperfect
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was repossessingprogressive
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were repossessingprogressive
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had been repossessingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of repossess
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.
When borrowers default or people can no longer justify maintenance fees, timeshare operators can repossess or cheaply buy back their vacation ownership.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026
Allowing the lender to repossess the vehicle is one option.
From MarketWatch • Nov. 29, 2025
Even so, the mortgage arrears on his two-bedroom flat eventually grew to about £13,000 and his bank said if that figure was not reduced to below £8,000 it would seek to repossess his home.
From BBC • Nov. 18, 2025
She was served a no-fault eviction, which allows landlords to repossess their properties even if there has been no problem with the tenant.
From BBC • Jun. 20, 2024
He had explained to his supporters in a letter that he was so broke that the bank was trying to repossess his house.
From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
