Definitions for possession
pəˈzɛʃ ənpos·ses·sion

Princeton's WordNet(3.83 / 6 votes)Rate this definition:

1. possession, ownershipnoun

   the act of having and controlling property

2. possessionnoun

   anything owned or possessed

3. possessionnoun

   being controlled by passion or the supernatural

4. monomania, possessionnoun

   a mania restricted to one thing or idea

5. possessionnoun

   a territory that is controlled by a ruling state

6. self-control, self-possession, possession, willpower, will power, self-command, self-willnoun

   the trait of resolutely controlling your own behavior

7. possessionnoun

   (sport) the act of controlling the ball (or puck)

   "they took possession of the ball on their own goal line"

Wiktionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. possessionnoun

   Something that someone possesses, but to which he does not necessarily have private property rights.

   Etymology: From possessio (Gen: possessionis)

2. possessionnoun

   Control or occupancy of something for which one does not necessarily have private property rights.

   Etymology: From Latin possessiō, possessiōnis.

3. possessionnoun

   Something that is owned.

   The car quickly became his most prized possession.

   Etymology: From Latin possessiō, possessiōnis.

4. possessionnoun

   Ownership; taking, holding, keeping something as one's own.

   The car is in my possession.

   Etymology: From Latin possessiō, possessiōnis.

5. possessionnoun

   A territory under the rule of another country.

   Réunion is the largest of France's overseas possessions.

   Etymology: From Latin possessiō, possessiōnis.

6. possessionnoun

   The condition or affliction of being possessed by a demon or other supernatural entity.

   Back then, people with psychiatric disorders were sometimes thought to be victims of demonic possession.

   Etymology: From Latin possessiō, possessiōnis.

7. possessionnoun

   The condition of being under the control of strong emotion or madness.

   Etymology: From Latin possessiō, possessiōnis.

8. possessionnoun

   Control of the ball; the opportunity to be on the offensive.

   The scoreboard shows a little football symbol next to the name of the team that has possession.

   Etymology: From Latin possessiō, possessiōnis.

9. possessionnoun

   A disposal of the ball during a game, i.e. a kick or a handball.

   Defender Colin O'Riordan had 41 possessions in the NEAFL last week to continue his outstanding form, while Ryan Clarke had 47 in the Swans' big loss to Brisbane.

   Etymology: From Latin possessiō, possessiōnis.

10. possessionnoun

    A syntactic relationship between two nouns or nominals that may be used to indicate ownership.

    Some languages distinguish between a construction like 'my car', which shows alienable possession — the car could become someone else's — and one like 'my foot', which has inalienable possession — my foot will always be mine.

    Etymology: From Latin possessiō, possessiōnis.

Webster Dictionary(1.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Possessionnoun

   the act or state of possessing, or holding as one's own

   Etymology: [F. possession, L. possessio.]

2. Possessionnoun

   the having, holding, or detention of property in one's power or command; actual seizin or occupancy; ownership, whether rightful or wrongful

   Etymology: [F. possession, L. possessio.]

3. Possessionnoun

   the thing possessed; that which any one occupies, owns, or controls; in the plural, property in the aggregate; wealth; dominion; as, foreign possessions

   Etymology: [F. possession, L. possessio.]

4. Possessionnoun

   the state of being possessed or controlled, as by an evil spirit, or violent passions; madness; frenzy; as, demoniacal possession

   Etymology: [F. possession, L. possessio.]

5. Possessionverb

   to invest with property

   Etymology: [F. possession, L. possessio.]

Freebase(3.50 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Possession

   In law, possession is the control a person intentionally exercises toward a thing. In all cases, to possess something, a person must have an intention to possess it. A person may be in possession of some property. Like ownership, the possession of things is commonly regulated by states under property law.

Military Dictionary and Gazetteer(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. possession

   To take possession, is the act of occupying any post, camp, fortress, etc., which might facilitate the operations of an army, or which previously belonged to the enemy.

Matched Categories

1. • Control
   • District
   • Enchantment
   • Mania
   • Resoluteness
   • Sport

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'possession' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #3364

2. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'possession' in Nouns Frequency: #1180

How to pronounce possession?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say possession in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of possession in Chaldean Numerology is: 9

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of possession in Pythagorean Numerology is: 6

Examples of possession in a Sentence

1. Thomas Bailey Aldrich:

   The possession of unlimited power will make a despot of almost any man. There is a possible Nero in the gentlest of human creature that walks.

2. Edoardo Siani:

   Buddhist kings show possession of white elephants as a proof of their legitimacy, legitimate kings effortlessly attract white elephants from all corners of the kingdom. These elephants willingly submit to the authority of kings out of recognition of their moral strength.

3. Eric Butterworth:

   Evil, and evil spirits, devils and devil possession, are the outgrowth of man's inadequate consciousness of God. We must avoid thinking of evil as a thing in itself-a force that works against man or, against God, if you will.

4. Don Crigger:

   A Purple Heart is extra special because a serviceman has shed blood for his country, it needs to be recognized, and someone needs to have that in their possession.

5. Pete Buttigieg:

   I would not have said even five years ago what I believe now, which is that incarceration should not even be a response to drug possession.

Popularity rank by frequency of use