What does possess mean?
Definitions for possess
pəˈzɛspos·sess
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word possess.
Princeton's WordNet
possessverb
have as an attribute, knowledge, or skill
"he possesses great knowledge about the Middle East"
own, have, possessverb
have ownership or possession of
"He owns three houses in Florida"; "How many cars does she have?"
possessverb
enter into and control, as of emotions or ideas
"What possessed you to buy this house?"; "A terrible rage possessed her"
Wiktionary
possessverb
To have; to have ownership of.
He does not even possess a working telephone.
possessverb
To take control of someone's body or mind, especially in a supernatural manner.
They thought he was possessed by evil spirits.
possessverb
To occupy.
possessverb
To vest ownership in (someone) with ownership.
Etymology: * From possessus, past participle of possīdeō.
Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
To POSSESSverb
Etymology: possessus, Lat. posseder, Fr.
She will not let instructions enter
Where folly now possesses? William Shakespeare, Cymbeline.Record a gift,
Here in the court, of all he dies possess’d,
Unto his son. William Shakespeare, Merchant of Venice.Sundry more gentlemen this little hundred possesseth and possessioneth. Richard Carew, Survey of Cornwall.
The English marched towards the river Eske, intending to possess a hill called Under-Eske. John Hayward.
Is he yet possest,
How much you would?
—— Ay, ay, three thousand ducats. William Shakespeare.This man, whom hand to hand I slew in fight,
May be possessed with some store of crowns. William Shakespeare.This possesses us of the most valuable blessing of human life, friendship. Government of the Tongue.
Seem I to thee sufficiently possess’d
Of happiness or not, who am alone
From all eternity? John Milton, Par. Lost, b. viii.I hope to possess chymists and corpuscularians of the advantages to each party, by confederacy between them. Boyle.
The intent of this fable is to possess us of a just sense of the vanity of these craving appetites. Roger L'Estrange.
Whole houses, of their whole desires possest,
Are often ruin’d at their own request. Dryden.Of fortune’s favour long possess’d,
He was with one fair daughter only bless’d. Dryden.We possessed ourselves of the kingdom of Naples, the dutchy of Milan and the avenue of France in Italy. Addison.
Endowed with the greatest perfections of nature, and possessed of all the advantages of external condition, Solomon could not find happiness. Matthew Prior.
It is of unspeakable advantage to possess our minds with an habitual good intention, and to aim all our thoughts, words and actions at some laudable end. Addison.
Those, under the great officers, know every little case that is before the great man, and if they are possessed with honest minds, will consider poverty as a recommendation. Addis.
Beware what spirit rages in your breast;
For ten inspir’d, ten thousand are possest. Wentworth Dillon.Inspir’d within, and yet possess’d without. John Cleveland.
I think, that the man is possessed. Jonathan Swift.
He’s possest with greatness,
And speaks not to himself, but with a pride
That quarrels at self-breath. William Shakespeare, Troil. and Cres.Let not your ears despise my tongue,
Which shall possess them with the heaviest sound
That ever yet they heard. William Shakespeare.Possest with rumours full of idle dreams,
Not knowing what they fear, but full of fear. William Shakespeare.What fury, O son,
Possesses thee, to bend that mortal dart
Against thy father’s head? John Milton, Par. Lost, b. ii.With the rage of all their race possest,
Stung to the soul the brothers start from rest. Alexander Pope.
Webster Dictionary
Possessverb
to occupy in person; to hold or actually have in one's own keeping; to have and to hold
Possessverb
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
Possessverb
to obtain occupation or possession of; to accomplish; to gain; to seize
Possessverb
to enter into and influence; to control the will of; to fill; to affect; -- said especially of evil spirits, passions, etc
Possessverb
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
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
Verbs Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'possess' in Verbs Frequency: #463
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of possess in Chaldean Numerology is: 5
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of possess in Pythagorean Numerology is: 4
Examples of possess in a Sentence
Before we set our hearts too much upon anything, let us examine how happy those are who already possess it.
Use what talents you possess: the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang the best.
Be entirely tolerant or not at all; follow the good path or the evil one. To stand at the crossroads requires more strength than you possess.
We say, sorrow, disaster, calamity. God says, chastening and it sounds sweet to him though it is a discord to our ears. Don't faint when you are rebuked, and don't despise the chastening of the Lord. In your patience possess your souls.
Whatever we possess becomes of double value When we have the opportunity of sharing it with others.
Popularity rank by frequency of use
Translations for possess
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- تملك, امتلك, ملكArabic
- posseïrCatalan, Valencian
- vlastnit, posednoutCzech
- besidde, eje, besætteDanish
- besitzenGerman
- posedi, haviEsperanto
- poseerSpanish
- داشتنPersian
- [[ottaa]] [[valtaansa]], omistaaFinnish
- posséder, s'emparer deFrench
- अधिकारीHindi
- hatalmába kerít, birtokol, van, bírHungarian
- 支配, 取り憑く, 占有, 所持, 所有Japanese
- ფლობსGeorgian
- possideo, habeo, teneoLatin
- innehaNorwegian
- opętać, posiadaćPolish
- possuirPortuguese
- poseda, avea, dețineRomanian
- обладать, владеть, иметьRussian
- பெற்றிருக்கவில்லைTamil
- sahip olmakTurkish
- کے پاسUrdu
- sở hữuVietnamese
- 具备Chinese
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"possess." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2023. Web. 28 May 2023. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/possess>.
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