possess

verb pos·sess \ pə-ˈzes also -ˈses \

|Updated on: 23 Jun 2018

Examples: possess in a Sentence

possessed; possessing; possesses

transitive verb

1 a : to have and hold as property : own

b : to have as an attribute, knowledge, or skill

2 a : to seize and take control of : take into one's possession

b : to enter into and control firmly : dominate

was possessed by demons

c : to bring or cause to fall under the influence, domination, or control of some emotional or intellectual response or reaction

melancholy possesses her

3 a obsolete : to instate as owner

b : to make the owner or holder —used in passive construction to indicate simple possession

possessed of riches

possessed of knowledge and experience

—

possessor

play \pə-ˈze-sər also -ˈse-\ noun

See possess defined for English-language learners

See possess defined for kids

Examples of possess in a Sentence

What would possess seemingly sane people to treat concrete walls like trampolines? —Alice Park, Time, 16 Apr. 2007
People who experience specific colors when looking at particular letters, such as seeing sky blue when shown an R, possess an unusual abundance of connections in brain areas involved in word and color perception, a new brain-imaging investigation finds. —Bruce Bower, Science News, 26 May 2007
What does matter is that we come to recognize that playfulness, as a philosophical stance, can be very serious, indeed; and, moreover, that it possesses an unfailing capacity to arouse ridicule and hostility in those among us who crave certainty, reverence, and restraint. —Tom Robbins, Harper's, September 2004
nations that possess nuclear weapons
The defendant was charged with possessing cocaine.
The ruby was once possessed by an ancient queen.
He dreams of someday possessing great wealth.
He possesses a keen wit.
The drug possesses the potential to suppress tumors.
Do dolphins possess the ability to use language?

Recent Examples of possess from the Web

Petrozzino possesses an acute, whimsical regard for his wardrobe.

— liana satenstein, Vogue, "Johnny Petrozzino Is the 57-Year-Old Male Model Capturing Young Hearts," 18 June 2018
And Iceland possesses a group of players as professionally prepared as any other.

— rory smith, New York Times, "World Cup: Iceland Ties Argentina, but You Can Call It a Victory," 17 June 2018
The former Duke star possesses an elite skill-set of being able to play both forward positions and could very well become an offensive threat for years to come.

— clevis murray, azcentral, "Report: Marvin Bagley lll to sign lucrative shoe deal with Puma," 15 June 2018
McCullers possesses the highest ground ball rate among all qualified American League pitchers.

— chandler rome, Houston Chronicle, "Evan Gattis' strong night leads Astros to victory against Athletics," 13 June 2018
An advantage that hockey possesses over football is its simplicity.

— john kelly, Washington Post, "We may be champions now, but ice hockey got off to a rough start in Washington," 11 June 2018
The Roberts family, like the Gilded Age families of the late 19th century, possesses enormous wealth and power.

— susan crawford, WIRED, "The Comcast-Disney Battle Isn't Just Business—It's a Grand Human Drama," 7 June 2018
Only a starting pitcher for one season as a high schooler in Florida, Richardson possesses a curveball/slider that has the potential to be a quality pitch in the professional levels.

— bobby nightengale, Cincinnati.com, "Cincinnati Reds complete MLB Draft, plan to sign more picks with new minor league team," 6 June 2018
Rodriguez possesses a plus fastball that sat at a heavy 92-to-94 mph for four innings in his most recent outing, and peaked at 96 mph.

— jon meoli, baltimoresun.com, "Get to know 2018 Orioles draft picks Grayson Rodriguez, Cadyn Grenier," 5 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'possess.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of possess

Middle English, from Middle French possesser to have possession of, take possession of, from Latin possessus, past participle of possidēre, from potis able, having the power + sedēre to sit — more at potent, sit

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year