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 verdict St Vincent possesses an unexplored, get-away-from-it-all tranquillity that many more boisterous Caribbean islands would sell their last rum punch for. — James Rampton, TheWeek, 3 Nov. 2026 The tri-captain possesses a certain gravitas that has helped drive the Warriors to the Class 2A state championship game, according to junior midfielder and tri-captain Lino Melero. — Michael Osipoff, Chicago Tribune, 27 Oct. 2026 Each of the three theaters also possesses a distinct spatial character. — Wendy Wang, Architectural Digest, 22 Oct. 2026 Sadiq, especially, possesses significant speed at his position. — Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026 Good leadership is not about exercising every power the Board possesses. — Beth Davis Sramek, Washington Post, 21 Oct. 2026 One is that Chris’ soul possesses Billy’s car at her death and turns it into Stephen King’s famous killer car, Christine. — Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 19 Oct. 2026 NDCs are certificates or licenses that signal that a worker possesses a particular qualification or competency. — Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026 Her path crosses with that of Inocência, an enslaved Black woman who possesses healing knowledge, knows the land, and devises her own strategies of resistance. — Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for possesses
  1. owns
  2. has
  3. retains
  4. enjoys
Verb
  • Banks and brokers still need to reconcile ownership records, accounts, collateral and corporate actions across different systems, while issuers still need to know who owns their securities and who is entitled to vote or receive distributions.
    — Isabella Gao, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Every department is working inside its own process, but no one owns the end-to-end commitment.
    — Rohan Joshi, Forbes.com, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of owns
Verb
  • The highest room category at the hotel is a 1,109-square-feet spa suite that has its own private whirlpool and treatment room, with a 25-minute massage included in the room rate.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Those who checked Truth Social after CNN projected that the Democratic party would capture the House of Representatives were also set up for disappointment, as the president has yet to comment on those results as well.
    — Eve Batey, Vanity Fair, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of has
Verb
  • While Carlson has long been unaffiliated with the outlet, Patel retains business connections with Carlson, while Carlson’s brother Buckley Carlson has served on the Daily Caller nonprofit’s board.
    — Max Tani, semafor.com, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Georgia recruits elite high school players, develops them, retains them and replaces them with more elite high school players.
    — Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 31 Oct. 2026
Definition of retains
Verb
  • Marysia enjoys occupying public space for extravagant reasons.
    — Olivia Kan-Sperling, Artforum, 1 Nov. 2026
  • But when someone who already enjoys using a foldable phone decides Apple’s version isn’t worth keeping, that gets my attention.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 29 Oct. 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 5 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of effrontery

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

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

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

Ten More Words from Taylor Swift Songs

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
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
couple-laugh-cafe
Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
See All