Definitions for possess
pəˈzɛspos·sess

Princeton's WordNet(1.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. possess(verb)

   have as an attribute, knowledge, or skill

   "he possesses great knowledge about the Middle East"

2. own, have, possess(verb)

   have ownership or possession of

   "He owns three houses in Florida"; "How many cars does she have?"

3. possess(verb)

   enter into and control, as of emotions or ideas

   "What possessed you to buy this house?"; "A terrible rage possessed her"

Wiktionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. possess(Verb)

   To have; to have ownership of.

   He does not even possess a working telephone.

   Etymology: * From possessus, past participle of possīdeō.

2. possess(Verb)

   To take control of someone's body or mind, especially in a supernatural manner.

   They thought he was possessed by evil spirits.

   Etymology: * From possessus, past participle of possīdeō.

3. possess(Verb)

   To occupy.

   Etymology: * From possessus, past participle of possīdeō.

4. possess(Verb)

   To vest ownership in (someone) with ownership.

   Etymology: * From possessus, past participle of possīdeō.

Webster Dictionary(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Possess(verb)

   to occupy in person; to hold or actually have in one's own keeping; to have and to hold

2. Possess(verb)

   to have the legal title to; to have a just right to; to be master of; to own; to have; as, to possess property, an estate, a book

3. Possess(verb)

   to obtain occupation or possession of; to accomplish; to gain; to seize

4. Possess(verb)

   to enter into and influence; to control the will of; to fill; to affect; -- said especially of evil spirits, passions, etc

5. Possess(verb)

   to put in possession; to make the owner or holder of property, power, knowledge, etc.; to acquaint; to inform; -- followed by of or with before the thing possessed, and now commonly used reflexively

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Possess

   poz-zes′, v.t. to have or hold as an owner: to have the control of: to inform: to seize: to enter into and influence: to put (one's self) in possession (of): (Spens.) to achieve: (Shak.) put in possession of information, convince.—adj. Possessed′, influenced by some evil spirit, demented.—n. Posses′sion, act of possessing: the thing possessed: a country taken by conquest: property: state of being possessed, as by an evil spirit: madness.—adjs. Posses′sionary, Posses′sive, pertaining to or denoting possession.—n. Posses′sive (gram.), a pronoun denoting possession: the possessive case.—adv. Posses′sively.—n. Posses′sor, one who possesses: owner: proprietor: occupant.—adj. Posses′sory, relating to a possessor or possession: having possession.—Give possession, to put in another's power or occupancy; Take possession, to assume ownership; Writ of possession, a process directing a sheriff to put a person in possession of property recovered in ejectment. [Fr.,—L. possidēre, possessum.]

British National Corpus

1. Verbs Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'possess' in Verbs Frequency: #463

How to pronounce possess?

1. 

   Alex

   US English

   

   Daniel

   British

   

   Karen

   Australian

   

   Veena

   Indian

How to say possess in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of possess in Chaldean Numerology is: 5

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of possess in Pythagorean Numerology is: 4

Examples of possess in a Sentence

1. Vassily Nebenzia:

   According to objective data that we possess it was not an ICBM.

2. Matthew Vadum:

   There are hundreds of sanctuary jurisdictions across the country. Some left-wingers use the dreadful euphemism "civil liberties safe zones" to describe them. The phrase blurs the distinction between citizens and non-citizens by implying illegal aliens somehow possess a civil right to be present in the U.S.

3. Austin Powers International Man of Mystery:

   Dr. Evil The details of my life are quite inconsequential... very well, where do I begin My father was a relentlessly self-improving boulangerie owner from Belgium with low grade narcolepsy and a penchant for buggery. My mother was a fifteen year old French prostitute named Chloe with webbed feet. My father would womanize, he would drink. He would make outrageous claims like he invented the question mark. Sometimes he would accuse chestnuts of being lazy. The sort of general malaise that only the genius possess and the insane lament. My childhood was typical. Summers in Rangoon, luge lessons. In the spring we'd make meat helmets. When I was insolent I was placed in a burlap bag and beaten with reeds- pretty standard really. At the age of twelve I received my first scribe. At the age of fourteen a Zoroastrian named Vilma ritualistically shaved my testicles. There really is nothing like a shorn scrotum... it's breathtaking- I highly suggest you try it.

4. Robert Burns:

   Firmness in enduring and exertion is a character I always wish to possess. I have always despised the whining yelp of complaint and cowardly resolve.

5. Adrienne Rich:

   We might hypothetically possess ourselves of every technological resource on the North American continent, but as long as our language is inadequate, our vision remains formless, our thinking and feeling are still running in the old cycles, our process may be revolutionary but not transformative.

Images & Illustrations of possess

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