What does "possess" mean?
To have (something) as, or as if as, an owner; to have, to own.
Possess
/pəˈzɛs/ verb
verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: To have (something) as, or as if as, an owner; to have, to own.
- Grammar: possess is listed as verb.
- Nearest alternatives: have, own, hold, achieve.
- Useful contrasts: be owned by, belonging, dispossessing.
- Usage evidence: Those who possess nothing lose nothing.
How to use "possess"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "possess" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "possess" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "possess" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "possess" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "possess" is acting as verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "have" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "possess", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Verb
- 1 To have (something) as, or as if as, an owner; to have, to own. transitive
"He does not even possess a working telephone."
- 2 have ownership or possession of wordnet
- 3 Of an idea, thought, etc.: to dominate (someone's mind); to strongly influence. transitive
"I am poſſeſt with an adulterate blot, / My bloud is mingled with the crime of luſt: […]"
- 4 have as an attribute, knowledge, or skill wordnet
- 5 Of a supernatural entity, especially one regarded as evil: to take control of (an animal or person's body or mind). transitive
"They thought he was possessed by evil spirits."
Show 14 more definitions
- 6 enter into and control, as of emotions or ideas wordnet
- 7 Of a person: to control or dominate (oneself or someone, or one's own or someone's heart, mind, etc.). also, literary, poetic, reflexive, transitive
"Resolving to possess myself in some quiet if it might be, in a time of so great jealosy, I built by my Brother's permission a study, made a fishpond, an island, and some other solitudes and retirements, at Wotton, which gave the first occasion of improving them to those water-works and gardens which afterwards succeeded them."
- 8 Of a person: to control or dominate (oneself or someone, or one's own or someone's heart, mind, etc.).; To dominate (a person) sexually; to have sexual intercourse with (a person). also, literary, poetic, reflexive, transitive
"Now tell me how long you would haue her, after you haue poſſeſt her?"
- 9 To cause an idea, thought, etc., to strongly affect or influence (someone); to inspire, to preoccupy. archaic, transitive
"What on earth possessed you to go walking by the quarry at midnight?"
- 10 To occupy the attention or time of (someone). archaic, transitive
"[W]hen he [Henry Wotton] was beyond ſeventy years of age he made this deſcription of a part of the preſent pleaſure that poſſeſt him, […]"
- 11 To obtain or seize (something); to gain, to win. also, archaic, literary, transitive
"[T]hey in ſecret counſell cloſe conſpird, / How to effect ſo hard an enterprize, / And to poſſeſſe the purpoſe they deſird: […]"
- 12 Chiefly followed by of or with: to vest ownership of something in (oneself or someone); to bestow upon, to endow. also, archaic, reflexive, transitive
"Lvcius Tarquinius (for his exceſſive pride ſurnamed Superbus) after hee had cauſed his owne father in law Seruius Tullius to be cruelly murdred, and contrarie to the Romaine lawes and cuſtomes, not requiring or ſtaying for the peoples ſuffrages, had poſſeſſed himſelfe of the kingdome: […]"
- 13 To have control or possession of, but not to own (a chattel or an interest in land). transitive
- 14 To give (someone) information or knowledge; to acquaint, to inform. obsolete, transitive
"I cannot bid you bid my daughter liue, / That were impoſſible, but I pray you both, / Poſſeſs the people in Meſſina here, / How innocent ſhe died, […]"
- 15 To have the ability to use, or knowledge of (a language, a skill, etc.) obsolete, transitive
"And Mr. Holt found that Harry could read and write, and poſſeſſed the two languages of French and Engliſh very well, […]"
- 16 To inhabit or occupy (a place). obsolete, transitive
"[W]ell thou knowſt / God hath pronounc't it death to taſte that Tree, / The only ſign of our obedience left / Among ſo many ſignes of power and rule / Conferrd upon us, and Dominion giv'n / Over all other Creatures that poſſeſſe Earth, Aire, and Sea."
- 17 Chiefly followed by that: to convince or persuade (someone). obsolete, transitive
"By ſuch malicious Inſinuations, he had poſſeſs'd the Lady, that he was the only Man in the World, of a ſound, pure, and untainted Conſtitution: […]"
- 18 To dominate sexually; to have sexual intercourse with. intransitive
- 19 To inhabit or occupy a place. intransitive
"Doſt thou thinke in time / She will not quench, and let inſtructions enter / Where Folly now poſſeſſes?"
Antonyms
Example
"Those who possess nothing lose nothing."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "possess"?
Common synonyms include: have, own, hold, achieve, acquire, appreciate.
How do you use "possess" in a sentence?
Those who possess nothing lose nothing.
How do you pronounce "possess"?
Pronounced /pəˈzɛs/.
Etymology
PIE word *pótis From Middle English possessen (“to have, own; to obtain possession of; to inhabit, occupy”) [and other forms], from Middle French possesser, possessier, Old French possesser, possessier (“to have, own, possess; to dominate”), from Latin possessus (“possessed; seized”), the perfect passive participle of possideō (“to have, hold, own, possess; to have possessions; to take control or possession of, occupy, seize; to abide, inhabit, occupy; to dominate”), from potis (“able, capable, possible”) (from Proto-Indo-European *pótis (“master; ruler; husband”)) + sedeō (“to sit; to be seated; to be established, hold firm”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sed- (“to sit”)).