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Synonyms

possess

American

[puh-zes] / pəˈzɛs /

verb (used with object)

to have as belonging to one; have as property; own.

to possess a house and a car.
to have as a faculty, quality, or the like.

to possess courage.
(of a spirit, especially an evil one) to occupy, dominate, or control (a person) from within.

He thought he was possessed by devils.
(of a feeling, idea, etc.) to dominate or actuate in the manner of such a spirit.

He was possessed by envy.
(of a man) to succeed in having sexual intercourse with.
to have knowledge of.

to possess a language.
to keep or maintain (oneself, one's mind, etc.) in a certain state, as of peace, patience, etc.
to maintain control over (oneself, one's mind, etc.).
to impart to; inform; familiarize (often followed by of orwith ).

to possess someone of the facts of the case.
to cause to be dominated or influenced, as by an idea, feeling, etc.
to make (someone) owner, holder, or master, as of property, information, etc..

He possessed them of the facts.
to seize or take.
to gain or win.
to occupy or hold.

possess British

/ pəˈzɛs /

verb

to have as one's property; own
to have as a quality, faculty, characteristic, etc

to possess good eyesight
to have knowledge or mastery of

to possess a little French
to gain control over or dominate

whatever possessed you to act so foolishly?
(foll by of) to cause to be the owner or possessor

I am possessed of the necessary information
(often foll by with) to cause to be influenced or dominated (by)

the news possessed him with anger
to have sexual intercourse with
rare to keep control over or maintain (oneself or one's feelings) in a certain state or condition

possess yourself in patience until I tell you the news
archaic to gain or seize

"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

Synonym Usage

See have.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of possess

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English possesen, from Middle French possess(i)er, noun derived from possession possession

Explanation

To possess something is to have or own it. You can possess a physical object, you can possess a particular quality or skill, or you can possess control or influence over someone. Related words are possessive (describing those who hold onto people or things in a controlling way), and possessed, as in a person being possessed by an idea or even by a demon. This verb is from Middle French posséder "to own," from Latin possidēre, from potis "able, having the power" plus sedēre "to sit."

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing possess

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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.

See Examples For:

possess possesses possessed possessing

Photography remains a lesser-known dimension of Lynch’s practice, he added, though his prints possess the same “irresistible strangeness” found across his oeuvre.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026

Seattle and D.C. have vast differences, but possess a few common ingredients that seem to have spurred their growing population of children: high-paying jobs and decent local schools, report Rachel Louise Ensign and Paul Overberg.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

“Working-class women might not be fighting for a cause with words, time, and money they don’t have,” Smarsh wrote, “but they possess an unsurpassed wisdom about the way gender works in the world.”

From Salon ● Aug. 25, 2026

And finally, Richarlison and Omar Marmoush possess impressive ball-striking and the physicality to arrive around the box to put away crosses.

From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026

Not fast, and not wide—perhaps forty or fifty feet across—the river still seemed to possess force, strength as it ran.

From "The River" by Gary Paulsen

Unlike Haaland, who is a specialist goalscorer, Joao Pedro has played as a midfielder, number 10 and winger during his career and possesses a more rounded skillset.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

"Markets aggregate information no committee possesses, and prices are how that information reaches decision makers," Druckenmiller said in a Wall Street Journal op-ed last month.

From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026

There’s Olive, 12, from Charlotte, North Carolina, whose goal is to sell 8,000 boxes and who already possesses the polished ease of someone who understands how to speak to an audience.

From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2026

Judge Choudhury said her decision was influenced by audio recordings of phone calls and expert testimony showing Jeffries possesses sufficient cognitive function to participate in his defense.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

Like Lee, Grant possesses a genius for warfare—indeed, he is capable of little else.

From "Lincoln's Last Days: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever" by Bill O'Reilly

Over the next 22 months he hunted them like a man possessed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

That distinction has influenced ideas about whether the human-chimpanzee ancestor should have possessed feet more like those of modern apes or monkeys.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 31, 2026

When Regan cheerfully tells another disturbed child, “I was possessed by a demon. Oh, it’s OK. He’s gone!” ridicule is the correct response.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

Brown, 35, had denied murder with a special defence that he was suffering from a mental disorder at the time and believed he had been possessed by the spirit of 19th Century occultist Aleister Crowley.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

By analyzing families that possessed intergenerational histories of mental illness, the study found striking evidence that bipolar disorder and schizophrenia shared a strong genetic link.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

What it exposed was the difference between possessing world-level talent and having the conditioning, experience and ring craft required to manage a 12-round world-title fight.

From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026

If a relatively simple machine can produce behavior that looks intentional without possessing a decision-making system, could human behavior also appear to result from centralized decisions even if no such central process exists?

From Science Daily ● Aug. 25, 2026

York, 45, pleaded no contest to charges of disorderly conduct and possessing criminal tools, Columbiana County Municipal Court records show.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026

The government did not allege that he was intoxicated while possessing the firearm, that he was addicted to marijuana, that he had ever threatened anyone, or that his gun ownership had resulted in any danger.

From Slate ● Jun. 26, 2026

“How can I know that you are worthy of possessing the Copper Key?” he asked.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

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