like a man/woman possessed

idiom

: with a lot of energy or force : like a person who is completely controlled by some powerful emotion, spirit, etc.
He pounded on the door like a man possessed, yelling for someone to let him in.

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web Jefferson, a native of Sardis, Miss., which is about 30 minutes from the Ole Miss campus in Oxford, played like a man possessed last year against the Rebels, accounting for 411 yards and six touchdowns in a 52-51 loss. Tom Murphy, Arkansas Online, 19 Nov. 2022 Jayson Tatum has been playing like a man possessed this year. Ian Firstenberg, Chicago Tribune, 18 Nov. 2022 MacKinnon at times played like a man possessed during this run, leading the Avalanche with 13 goals, tied for the playoff lead. Stephen Whyno, oregonlive, 27 June 2022 But the Game 2 redemption started with Brown playing like a man possessed. Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 20 May 2022 The band sounded dialed-in and focused; drummer Glenn Kotche, who joined the band during the making of YHF, played like a man possessed, and guitarist Nels Cline, who came aboard two years after the album’s release, handled each electric mini-solo and noisy feedback crescendo with precision. Simon Vozick-levinson, Rolling Stone, 19 Apr. 2022 But painting like a man possessed and failing to make money from it — losing money, in fact — didn’t help. Washington Post, 2 Feb. 2022 In the opening 3:30 of the second half, Mobley played like a man possessed on the glass, grabbing six of his rebounds in that short spurt. Ashley Bastock, cleveland, 23 Jan. 2022 All the while, Leonard was drilling jump shots like a man possessed. Bruce Jenkins, San Francisco Chronicle, 5 June 2021 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'like a man/woman possessed.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Dictionary Entries Near like a man/woman possessed

Cite this Entry

“Like a man/woman possessed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/like%20a%20man%2Fwoman%20possessed. Accessed 28 May. 2023.

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