possesses

verb

present tense third-person singular of possess
as in owns
to keep, control, or experience as one's own she possesses a keen insight into people

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 possesses The club see him as a versatile player who fits their tactical system and possesses significant potential. — Tim Spiers, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026 The country already possesses 85 percent of the world’s battery manufacturing capacity. — Chad P. Bown, Foreign Affairs, 1 Sep. 2026 Could the Bengals’ defense, a pain point for this club for the last couple seasons, get upgrades to match the offensive firepower Zac Taylor’s team possesses? — Scott Thompson Outkick, FOXNews.com, 1 Sep. 2026 The pair also meet Sheriff Kerry Kane (Kelly Macdonald) and her wealthy, deeply suspicious father-in-law William Macon (Garret Dillahunt), who possesses an unusual amount of knowledge about aliens. — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026 Nikko Remigio likely will be the primary return man, but Smith possesses better big-play ability. — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 29 Aug. 2026 Wolf succumbs to Shura, a demonic force in the game’s mythology that possesses those who give in to bloodlust. — Aman Kumar, Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Aug. 2026 The observations show the red supergiant has an atmosphere with a temperature of around 3,680 degrees Fahrenheit (2,030 degrees Celsius), but possesses at least two regions even hotter than this. — Robert Lea, Space.com, 25 Aug. 2026 Bell, who possesses a rare combination of size, hands and physicality, could be the best wide receiver on the roster in a short amount of time. — Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 23 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for possesses
  1. owns
  2. has
  3. retains
  4. enjoys
Verb
  • Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway owns BNSF, and the railroad is a fierce critic of Vena’s takeover bid for Norfolk Southern.
    — John Lippert, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Eventually, Tyler contacted a friend who owns D&D Bait Shop nearby, where the fish could spend the night in a larger tank with a better aeration system.
    — Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of owns
Verb
  • Those are notable numbers for Turek in a state dominated by the GOP for the past decade; Turek has an edge among independent voters and a positive favorability rating compared to Hinson, who is viewed more negatively.
    — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 9 Sep. 2026
  • The tiebreaker for lottery odds has nothing to do with head-to-head or anything that happened on the field this season.
    — Tim Britton, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of has
Verb
  • The Aura 3 Pro retains most of the flagship’s core hardware while dialing back the raw specs a bit.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Chicago retains a hand in many of these structures that have begun in the offices of our architects and engineers.
    — Edward Keegan, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of retains
Verb
  • Billups, executive director of the central region for Boeing space advocacy and global engagement, enjoys visiting the John Will Anderson Boys & Girls Club in Gary every year.
    — Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2026
  • The first to roll up his sleeves to lend a hand, Josiah also enjoys flipping through one of his treasured books.
    — The Star, Kansas City Star, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of enjoys

Browse Nearby Words

possessed
possesses
possessing
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Possesses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/possesses. Accessed 10 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of loath

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All