possess
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possess
- /pəˈzɛs/ Canada, US, UK
- /pəˈzes/ Australia, New Zealand
Rhymes with -ɛs
Where it comes from
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”)).
verb possesses · possessing · possessed · possess
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To have (something) as, or as if as, an owner; to have, to own.
He does not even possess a working telephone.
Similar: inhold
- Of an idea, thought, etc.: to dominate (someone's mind); to strongly influence. I am poſſeſt with an adulterate blot, / My bloud is mingled with the crime of luſt: […]
- Of a supernatural entity, especially one regarded as evil: to take control of (an animal or person's body or mind). They thought he was possessed by evil spirits.
- Of a person: to control or dominate (oneself or someone, or one's own or someone's heart, mind, etc.). 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
- To dominate (a person) sexually; to have sexual intercourse with (a person). Now tell me how long you would haue her, after you haue poſſeſt her?
- To cause an idea, thought, etc., to strongly affect or influence (someone); to inspire, to preoccupy. What on earth possessed you to go walking by the quarry at midnight?
- To occupy the attention or time of (someone). [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, […]
- To obtain or seize (something); to gain, to win. [T]hey in ſecret counſell cloſe conſpird, / How to effect ſo hard an enterprize, / And to poſſeſſe the purpoſe they deſird: […]
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Chiefly followed by of or with: to vest ownership of something in (oneself or someone); to bestow upon, to endow.
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: […]
Similar: seise · Opposite: dispossess, unpossess
- To have control or possession of, but not to own (a chattel or an interest in land).
- To give (someone) information or knowledge; to acquaint, to inform. 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, […]
- To have the ability to use, or knowledge of (a language, a skill, etc.) And Mr. Holt found that Harry could read and write, and poſſeſſed the two languages of French and Engliſh very well, […]
- To inhabit or occupy (a place). [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.
- Chiefly followed by that: to convince or persuade (someone). 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: […]
- To dominate sexually; to have sexual intercourse with.
- To inhabit or occupy a place. Doſt thou thinke in time / She will not quench, and let inſtructions enter / Where Folly now poſſeſſes?
Similar: have, hold, own, possess · Opposite: go without, lose
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: have, own, ownership, possession, repossess, wield, occupy, acquire, require, obtain, collect, demonstrate, detention, maintain, retain, meet
Translations
Every language
verb to have (something) as, or as if as, an owner
| Español | poseer |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 소지하다 sojihada, 소유하다 soyuhada |
| 日本語 | 占有する senyū suru, 所持する, 所有する shoyū suru |
| 中文 | 抱有 bàoyǒu, 具备 jùbèi, 具有 jùyǒu, 所有 suǒyǒu, 具備 /具备 jùbèi, 擁有 /拥有 yōngyǒu |
| Português | possuir, ter |
| Français | posséder |
| Deutsch | besitzen |
| Italiano | possedere, avere |
| Ελληνικά | διαθέτω diathéto, έχω écho, κατέχω katécho |
| Română | poseda, avea, deține |
| Русский | облада́ть obladátʹ, владе́ть vladétʹ, име́ть imétʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | sở hữu |
| العربية | مَلَكَ malaka, اِمْتَلَكَ imtalaka, تَمَلَّكَ tamallaka, حَازَ ḥāza |
Talk about this word "possess." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/possess. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. possess. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/possess "possess." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/possess.Cite this
@misc{possess_2026,
title = {possess},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/possess},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
