Definitions for possession
pəˈzɛʃ ənpos·ses·sion

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

1. possession, ownership(noun)

   the act of having and controlling property

2. possession(noun)

   anything owned or possessed

3. possession(noun)

   being controlled by passion or the supernatural

4. monomania, possession(noun)

   a mania restricted to one thing or idea

5. possession(noun)

   a territory that is controlled by a ruling state

6. self-control, self-possession, possession, willpower, will power, self-command, self-will(noun)

   the trait of resolutely controlling your own behavior

7. possession(noun)

   (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. possession(Noun)

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

   Etymology: From possessio (Gen: possessionis)

2. possession(Noun)

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

   Etymology: From Latin possessiō, possessiōnis.

3. possession(Noun)

   Something that is owned.

   The car quickly became his most prized possession.

   Etymology: From Latin possessiō, possessiōnis.

4. possession(Noun)

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

   The car is in my possession.

   Etymology: From Latin possessiō, possessiōnis.

5. possession(Noun)

   A territory under the rule of another country.

   Réunion is the largest of France's overseas possessions.

   Etymology: From Latin possessiō, possessiōnis.

6. possession(Noun)

   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. possession(Noun)

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

   Etymology: From Latin possessiō, possessiōnis.

8. possession(Noun)

   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. possession(Noun)

   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. possession(Noun)

    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. Possession(noun)

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

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

2. Possession(noun)

   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. Possession(noun)

   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. Possession(noun)

   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. Possession(verb)

   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.

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

   

   Daniel

   British

   

   Karen

   Australian

   

   Veena

   Indian

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. Wilhelm von Humboldt:

   Possession, it is true, crowns exertion with rest; but it is only in the illusions of fancy that it has power to charm us.

2. Erie County:

   All evidence related to this case that was given to Erie County Central Police Services by the Town of Hamburg Police Department is accounted for and remains in its original packaging in the possession of Erie County Central Police Services.

3. Mark Mitchell:

   Upon his release, the Petitioner will be given $4,210 in cash, the same amount he had in his possession when was captured, he will also be provided a new cellular phone (in its original sealed packaging), which he can activate and use if he desires to do so. He will be provided sufficient food and water to last for several days.

4. Bryant McGill:

   Knowledge is that possession that no misfortune can destroy, no authority can revoke, and no enemy can control. This makes knowledge the greatest of all freedoms.

5. Public Information Phil Walzak:

   The working group is reviewing possession and public smoking of marijuana to ensure enforcement is consistent with the values of fairness and trust, while also promoting public safety and addressing community concerns.

Images & Illustrations of possession

Popularity rank by frequency of use