possession

1
as in hands
the fact or state of having (something) at one's disposal a student who was found to have several overdue library books in his possession

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2
3
as in occupancy
the act or fact of residing in a place squatters had established possession in the abandoned warehouse

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of possession Get an insurance checkup and document your possessions. Gabe Hauari, USA Today, 14 Oct. 2025 The four men are facing first-degree murder charges and Garmon is also facing a possession of a firearm by a felon charge. Charlotte Observer, 14 Oct. 2025 His right ankle was both dislocated and fractured, the brutal byproduct of Niners safety Ji’Ayir Brown trying to make a tackle on Tampa Bay’s third offensive possession and rolling up into the back of Warner’s legs. Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 13 Oct. 2025 The historic possessions were later donated to the Smithsonian Institution. Brittney Melton, NPR, 13 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for possession
Recent Examples of Synonyms for possession
Noun
  • That doesn’t mean Cleveland will place the basketball in Hunter’s hands and tell him to go.
    Fred Katz, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Separate the plant by gently pulling the roots apart with your hands, cutting them apart with a clean sharp knife, or placing two garden forks back to back in the clump’s center to pull it apart.
    Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 15 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Across the fence, in Gaza, Palestinians had been trekking with their belongings for days, since preparations for the ceasefire were announced.
    Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
  • Many buildings were flattened, and none was undamaged, as people went back to search for their belongings.
    Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • It’s envisioned, Runner said, that the property owner would receive the transit occupancy tax revenues generated by the site, for a set period of time, and the city would receive the sales tax revenues.
    Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 9 Oct. 2025
  • Developers filed an occupancy permit application with the city, a step that means the building could be cleared to open ICE's occupancy after a city inspection.
    Sophie Carson, jsonline.com, 9 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • To this day, the cooing and mutter of pigeons can lull me into a space of deep enjoyment.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2025
  • The autobiographical, meta element can also be part of the enjoyment of your films.
    Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 3 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Channing Tatum’s Raw Physicality on The Tonight Show Channing Tatum is, above all things, a dancer.
    Bethy Squires, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025
  • In 2022, life circumstances prompted her and her husband to make things official quickly.
    Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Expand access to skilling and transparent hiring in tech and innovation occupations where future growth is concentrated.
    Katica Roy, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2025
  • According to data from the Department of Homeland Security, more than 20,000 educators are in the country on H-1B visas — the third most common occupation group for the program.
    Sequoia Carrillo, NPR, 15 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Harvard was ranked second best university and school for 2026, due to its high faculty member to student ratio and average staff salary - which exceeds $105,000 for full-time instructional stuff - as well as its diversity and graduate outcomes.
    Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
  • This stuff has been minor, thankfully.
    Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 14 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • But there are significant differences between their ideas of cosmic habitation.
    Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Lee would sometimes visit Anderson at the Highland Chateau health and rehabilitation center in Highland Park, where she had been relocated with some objection after her Surrey Avenue property was deemed unfit for human habitation.
    Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 10 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Possession.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/possession. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.

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