repossess

verb

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

repossessed; repossessing; repossesses

Definition of repossess

transitive verb

1a : 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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Other Words from repossess

repossession \ ˌrē-pə-ˈze-shən

also -ˈse- \ noun

repossessor \ ˌrē-pə-ˈze-sər

also -ˈse- \ noun

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 on the Web

When people fail to repay their debts, collectors act quickly to repossess cars, sometimes in the middle of the night, according to people on both sides of the transactions. — WSJ, "A New Kind of Lender Secretly Tracks Your Car to Make Sure You Pay Up," 27 Nov. 2018 Some 20,000 cars were wrongfully repossessed, the bank has said. — Emily Glazer, WSJ, "Wells Fargo to Pay States About $575 Million to Settle Customer Harm Claims," 28 Dec. 2018 In other parts of the industry, a game of cat-and-mouse is being played, with borrowers trying to fight back against lenders who want to repossess their cars. — WSJ, "A New Kind of Lender Secretly Tracks Your Car to Make Sure You Pay Up," 27 Nov. 2018 Oh, your couch getting repossessed and PornHub is down? — Constance Grady, Vox, "Watch: The Daily Show explains why the Democrats’ House win could be good for Trump," 7 Nov. 2018 The leasing company can repossess the animal if a payment is missed, and consumers might still be obligated to pay the company if their pet runs away or dies. — Nancy Coleman, WSJ, "Just Bought a New Puppy? It Might Be a Rental," 19 July 2018 Keen, then 27, had been working for Warren’s used car dealership, Bargain Motors Inc. of West Palm Beach, helping to repossess cars. — Chuck Weber, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Evidence photos shed light on notorious killer clown case," 4 July 2018 Price: About $320,000 Bentley Bentayga: Given to Tyga by Kylie after his Ferrari was repossessed. — Alex Heigl, PEOPLE.com, "Some of the Kars that Have Passed Through KarJenner Hands," 6 Apr. 2018 Sorry to Bother You, which opens in multiple cities July 6, stars Atlanta’s Lakeith Stanfield as Cassius, a young man who takes a job at a telemarketing firm to help save his uncle’s (Terry Crews) house from being repossessed. — Joseph Bien-kahn, WIRED, "Radical As Ever, Boots Riley Takes On the Tech Boom," 4 July 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.

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Last Updated

15 Mar 2019

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Time Traveler for repossess

The first known use of repossess was in the 15th century

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More Definitions for repossess

repossess

verb

English Language Learners Definition of repossess

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

See the full definition for repossess in the English Language Learners 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 sense 2