repossess

verb re·pos·sess \ ˌrē-pə-ˈzes also -ˈses \

Updated on: 13 Apr 2018

Definition of repossess

transitive verb

1 a : to regain possession of

b : to take possession of (something bought) from a buyer in default of the payment of installments due

2 : to restore to possession

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repossession

play \ˌrē-pə-ˈze-shən also -ˈse-\ noun

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repossessor

play \ˌrē-pə-ˈze-sər also -ˈse-\ noun

See repossess defined for English-language learners

See repossess defined for kids

Examples of repossess in a Sentence

The bank repossessed her truck.
if you don't pay off the loan, the bank will come and repossess your car

Recent Examples of repossess from the Web

The company repossessed the property when the original developer, Ellman Cos.

— perry vandell, azcentral, "Glendale's Westgate Entertainment District is up for sale, but what does it mean for you?," 10 Apr. 2018
Police asked her then whether her car might have been repossessed.

— jeneé osterheldt, kansascity, "Innocent Overland Park woman is surrounded by police, guns drawn: Was that excessive? | The Kansas City Star," 2 Apr. 2018
So with the good lord having repossessed the car, in a manner of speaking, Gabriel is now back in Negan’s clutches.

— chicago tribune, chicagotribune.com, "Exasperation time? "The Walking Dead" this week tests our patience, its own rules," 11 Mar. 2018
Advertisement But the convent had been repossessed by The Archdiocese of Los Angeles, who sold the building to Katy Perry for $14.5 million.

— meagan fredette, refinery29.com, "The Nun Who Brought A Lawsuit Against Katy Perry Died Of A Heart Attack," 10 Mar. 2018
Mathurin pulled a gun on a Heat Recovery tow truck driver who was trying to repossess a silver Nissan Murano from the Walmart on the 300 block of South State Road 7 on Wednesday night, WSVN7 reported.

— howard cohen, miamiherald, "Man arrested after shooting at a repo man in a Walmart parking lot | Miami Herald," 9 Mar. 2018
There were also three cars: a 2014 Bentley, a 2016 BMW i8, and a 2105 Ford Flex, which were listed as being repossessed.

— dave quinn, PEOPLE.com, "Joey Lawrence Files for Bankruptcy After Accumulating Over $355K in Liabilities," 9 Mar. 2018
The long and short of it is that Chase dispatched a company to repossess my car (tow truck and all) to my home on a Saturday night as our annual Christmas party was just starting with friends.

— teresa dixon murray, cleveland.com, "Chase tries to repossess Medina man's car, but repo guy has the wrong person: Money Matters," 4 Mar. 2018
The witness told police Lancaster had been giving Carte $250 a week for several weeks to make payments on a rental car, which was repossessed.

— holly v. hays, Indianapolis Star, "Indianapolis police make arrest in June 2017 triple homicide," 23 Feb. 2018

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

First Known Use of repossess

15th century

repossess Synonyms

REPOSSESS Defined for English Language Learners

repossess

verb

Definition of repossess for English Language Learners

: to take (something) back from a buyer because payments are not being made

Law Dictionary

repossess

transitive verb re·pos·sess \ ˌrē-pə-ˈzes \

legal Definition of repossess

: to regain possession of; especially : to take possession of again by judicial process or self-help upon default of the payment of installments due — compare foreclose, seize 2

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