First Known Use: 14th century
Dictionary
possess
verb pos·sess \pə-ˈzes also -ˈses\
: to have or own (something)
: to have or show (a particular quality, ability, skill, etc.)
of spirits : to enter into and control (someone)
Full Definition of POSSESS
transitive verb
2
a : to seize and take control of : take into one's possession b : to enter into and control firmly : dominate <was possessed by demons> c : to bring or cause to fall under the influence, domination, or control of some emotional or intellectual response or reaction <melancholy possesses her>
3
a obsolete : to instate as owner b : to make the owner or holder —used in passive construction to indicate simple possession <possessed of riches> <possessed of knowledge and experience>
— pos·ses·sor noun
See possess defined for English-language learners
See possess defined for kids
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Examples of POSSESS
- What would possess seemingly sane people to treat concrete walls like trampolines? —Alice Park, Time, 16 Apr. 2007
- People who experience specific colors when looking at particular letters, such as seeing sky blue when shown an R, possess an unusual abundance of connections in brain areas involved in word and color perception, a new brain-imaging investigation finds. —Bruce Bower, Science News, 26 May 2007
- What does matter is that we come to recognize that playfulness, as a philosophical stance, can be very serious, indeed; and, moreover, that it possesses an unfailing capacity to arouse ridicule and hostility in those among us who crave certainty, reverence, and restraint. —Tom Robbins, Harper's, September 2004
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Origin of POSSESS
Rhymes with POSSESS
abscess, access, address, aggress, assess, bench-press, caress, clothespress, coatdress, cold-press, compress, confess, cross-dress, CS, depress, de-stress, digress, distress, drill press, egress, excess, express, finesse, fluoresce, French press, full-dress, handpress, headdress, housedress, idlesse, impress, ingress, Meknes, much less, nightdress, noblesse, no less, obsess, oppress, outguess, precess, prestress, princess, process, profess, progress, recess, redress, regress, re-press, repress, shirtdress, side-dress, SS, success, sundress, suppress, tendresse, top-dress, transgress, undress, unless, web press, winepress, word stress
POSSESS Defined for Kids
possess
verb pos·sess \pə-ˈzes\
pos·sessedpos·sess·ing
Definition of POSSESS for Kids
1
: to have and hold as property : own <I possess little money.>
2
: to have as a characteristic or quality <The black wolf also possessed wisdom, she had observed. — Jean Craighead George, Julie of the Wolves>
3
: to enter into and control <possessed by a demon> <What possessed you to say that?>
— pos·ses·sor \-ər\ noun
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