possess
Americanverb (used with object)
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possesses,
present (3rd person singular)
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possessed,
past participle, past
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possessing
present participle
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to have as belonging to one; have as property; own.
to possess a house and a car.
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to have as a faculty, quality, or the like.
to possess courage.
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(of a spirit, especially an evil one) to occupy, dominate, or control (a person) from within.
He thought he was possessed by devils.
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(of a feeling, idea, etc.) to dominate or actuate in the manner of such a spirit.
He was possessed by envy.
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(of a man) to succeed in having sexual intercourse with.
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to have knowledge of.
to possess a language.
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to keep or maintain (oneself, one's mind, etc.) in a certain state, as of peace, patience, etc.
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to maintain control over (oneself, one's mind, etc.).
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to impart to; inform; familiarize (often followed by of orwith ).
to possess someone of the facts of the case.
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to cause to be dominated or influenced, as by an idea, feeling, etc.
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to make (someone) owner, holder, or master, as of property, information, etc..
He possessed them of the facts.
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to seize or take.
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to gain or win.
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to occupy or hold.
verb
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to have as one's property; own
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to have as a quality, faculty, characteristic, etc
to possess good eyesight
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to have knowledge or mastery of
to possess a little French
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to gain control over or dominate
whatever possessed you to act so foolishly?
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(foll by of) to cause to be the owner or possessor
I am possessed of the necessary information
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(often foll by with) to cause to be influenced or dominated (by)
the news possessed him with anger
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to have sexual intercourse with
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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
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archaic to gain or seize
Synonym Usage
See have.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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possesssimple
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possessessimple
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have possessedperfect
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has possessedperfect
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am possessingprogressive
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are possessingprogressive
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is possessingprogressive
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have been possessingperfect progressive
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has been possessingperfect progressive
Past
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possessedsimple
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had possessedperfect
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was possessingprogressive
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were possessingprogressive
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had been possessingperfect progressive
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."
Vocabulary lists containing possess
The SAT: Language of the Test, List 6
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Christmas Carol Vocab: A Lyrical Lexicon
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The New SAT: The Language of the Test
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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:
And it is an argument, and a hope, that is even more pertinent as England still do not possess any other striker or forward who could be considered anywhere near Kane's class or potency.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
After being looked after financially by her for so many years, he is reported to possess neither a bank account nor a social security card.
From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026
Instead, it demonstrates something that was previously difficult to test: A quantum system can possess a meaningful internal measure of time without depending on an external clock.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 30, 2026
Rogozhin implies that while Westerners merely intellectualize doubt, Russians possess a total, unyielding nihilism—a ne plus ultra of unbelief, with no way back to faith.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
Now most head teachers are chosen because they possess a number of fine qualities.
From "Matilda" by Roald Dahl
With explosive power and supreme athleticism, the 24-year-old American already possesses weapons which can inflict serious damage.
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026
But his streamlined version possesses the sweep of the poem’s packed story.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2026
Phil Foden's magnificent man-of-the-match display in the Champions League against AEK Athens served as a reminder of the prodigious talent that the player still possesses.
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026
Mr. Kozinski certainly possesses impressive legal acumen by nature of his profession.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026
Tonni, who possesses the humor of a clenched fist, stiffens noticeably.
From "The Misfits" by James Howe
Markle has strongly denied recent allegations that he had possessed images of child abuse, describing them as "sick lies".
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
No charges have been announced, and investigators have not publicly established that Markle Sr. possessed the alleged material.
From Salon ● Oct. 25, 2026
“Iran would have to be more aggressive to achieve the same degree of control it previously possessed over oil flows from the region,” Capital Economics’ Hussain said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
Remarkably, Megacauda sungei already possessed evidence of this anatomical development millions of years before modern mammals appeared.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026
Washington was an inherently stiff and formal man who cultivated aloofness and possessed distancing mechanisms second to none.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
Without proper context, grounding, and safeguards, “the LLM agent is a virtually unlimited liability, possessing a nearly unbounded destructive potential and a blast radius that tends towards infinity,” he writes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Thomas Markle denied possessing child sex images, calling the accusations "sick lies".
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
Tharia fares better, possessing the same snarky delivery that Waititi wields when he has been in front of the camera.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
The lower court judge sentenced Beaird to an even heavier sentence than he might otherwise have gotten due to the type of large-capacity firearm the police found him possessing.
From Slate ● Oct. 18, 2026
In human societies possessing domestic animals, livestock fed more people in four distinct ways: by furnishing meat, milk, and fertilizer and by pulling plows.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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