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 But great to a low possession team looking to do damage during a transition. Thom Harris, New York Times, 21 May 2025 The 2007-08 school year is the earliest drug possession data available online from The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. Rebecca Noel, Charlotte Observer, 21 May 2025 All advances start out as rare, frequently pricey, only for the very few in possession of connections, means or both to test what most of us can’t. John Tamny, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025 Reynolds pleaded guilty May 15 to one count of assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, one count of discharging a firearm in connection with a crime of violence, and one count of felon in possession of firearms. Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 19 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for possession
Recent Examples of Synonyms for possession
Noun
  • The burden will increasingly shift onto city agencies like the Department of Building and Safety to serve thousands of homeowners and businesses seeking plan checks, permits, inspections and certificates of occupancy.
    Matt Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2025
  • The fire was initially upgraded to a second alarm before a third alarm was activated based on the size of the building and its occupancy, according to fire officials.
    Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 14 May 2025
Noun
  • Here's exactly how and when to harvest peony flowers for maximum enjoyment, according to a flower farmer.
    Erica Browne Grivas, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 May 2025
  • Special plants can provide a certain enjoyment or hold a symbolic meaning.
    Clarence Schmidt, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 May 2025
Noun
  • The challenge has always been to figure out how to personalize things without spending inordinate amounts of time and money mapping out every possible path a student might take.
    Ray Ravaglia, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2024
  • As a business owner, higher profit margins, all other things being equal, are more valuable.
    Bill Stone, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • How will Columbia, over the next fifty years, gradually absorb the student occupation of 2024 into its branding?
    Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 17 May 2025
  • The Taif Agreement, ending Lebanon’s civil war in 1989, formally recognized the state’s right to resist the Israeli occupation of Lebanese territories – and with it Hezbollah’s presence as a force of resistance.
    Mireille Rebeiz, The Conversation, 15 May 2025
Noun
  • Here’s the really good news among the bad critical vulnerability disclosure stuff: there is no patch to install, no updates to deploy, and no action required by the user at all.
    Davey Winder, Forbes.com, 11 May 2025
  • The audience load-in playlist for my Baby J Tour was a lot of Delfonics, Spinners, Thom Bell-adjacent stuff.
    Jason Newman, Rolling Stone, 10 May 2025
Noun
  • Alaska’s vast wilderness has been a testing ground of human endurance for millennia as the gateway for human habitation of the Americas.
    Saleem H. Ali, Forbes.com, 18 May 2025
  • Air travel rules for kids suggest legal frameworks for longer, deeper excursions — and eventually permanent habitation — in space.
    Dave S. Brody, Space.com, 26 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Possession.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/possession. Accessed 24 May. 2025.

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