possessing

verb

present participle of possess
as in owning
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 possessing Her voice has a clear affinity with Vashti Bunyan’s, possessing a maternal warmth and formal poise that can sound tender without becoming mannered. — Emma Madden, Pitchfork, 4 Nov. 2026 When lawmakers meet next year, the Texas Cannabis Policy Center is focused on reducing the penalty for possessing marijuana. — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Nov. 2026 In 2017, researchers demonstrated a slumber-like state in upside-down jellyfish, animals possessing nerve nets rather than centralized brains. — New Atlas, 2 Nov. 2026 Despite having lost just once, putting together a 44-point win, and possessing an offense that has outscored opponents 187-31 over the last four weeks, Wake Forest did not budge in this week's poll. — Mark Harris Outkick, FOXNews.com, 1 Nov. 2026 Like Hudson’s Daytime Emmys look, the pumps shone on the red carpeting, possessing a mirror-like effect that reflected the lighting. — Erin Wisti, Footwear News, 31 Oct. 2026 The nine counties with the most EV-possessing households nationwide were in California. — Madison Smalstig, Sacbee.com, 29 Oct. 2026 The prosecutions Seabright referred to were for Jaime Hector Ramirez, who is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition and Tu Anh Tran, who is charged with possessing property stolen from interstate or foreign shipment. — Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026 As part of a plea agreement, O’Connor pleaded guilty in May to one count of knowingly possessing two destructive devices that were not registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. — Kansas City Star, 28 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for possessing
  1. owning
  2. having
  3. retaining
  4. enjoying
Verb
  • Timberview will be the top seed in the playoffs, owning a 54-7 win over Midlothian Heritage, and can be the district champion alone if the Wolves win at Corsicana on Thursday.
    — Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Republicans in Tennessee and Arkansas have passed laws that would ban any one company from owning both a pharmacy and a PBM — thought the Arkansas measure has been held up in court.
    — Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of owning
Verb
  • Anyone who works with multiple monitors knows the pain of having cables cluttered chaotically around their desk.
    — Maryna Holovnova, New Atlas, 7 Nov. 2026
  • The Moon’s opposition to Saturn asks for patience with the gap between having an idea and knowing how to carry it out.
    — Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of having
Verb
  • On September 19, Miller’s forecast gave the Republicans an almost 36% chance of retaining control of the upper chamber.
    — Shawn Tully, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Attias said the family decided in 2025 to finally open the Clark, later retaining OTH Hotels Resorts to manage it.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of retaining
Verb
  • An evening spent practicing, creating, or enjoying your own company can strengthen your life outside the group without weakening the friendship.
    — Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Nov. 2026
  • The video provided by the zoo showed Ping Ping and Fu Shuang chowing down on bamboo stalks and enjoying their habitat.
    — Yi-Jin Yu, ABC News, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of enjoying

Browse Nearby Words

possesses
possessing
possession
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Possessing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/possessing. Accessed 8 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

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

The Words of the Week - Nov. 6

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
woman sitting on floor holding book in front of her face on pink background
Famous Novels, Last Lines Quiz Needless to say, spoiler alert.
See All