possess
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pos·sess
(pə-zĕs′)tr.v. pos·sessed, pos·sess·ing, pos·sess·es
1.
a. To have as property; own: possess great wealth.
b. Law To have under one's power or control: possess illegal drugs.
2.
a. To have as a quality, characteristic, or other attribute: possesses great tact.
b. To have mastery or knowledge of: possess a knowledge of Sanskrit; possess valuable information.
3.
a. To gain control or power over. Used of a demon or spirit.
b. To occupy fully the mind or feelings of: The dancers were possessed by the music.
c. Often Offensive To have sexual intercourse with (a woman).
d. Archaic To control or maintain (one's nature) in a particular condition: I possessed my temper despite the insult.
4. Archaic To cause (oneself) to own, hold, or master something, such as property or knowledge.
5. Archaic To gain or seize.
[Middle English possessen, from Old French possesser, from Latin possidēre, possess- : pos-, as master; see poti- in Indo-European roots + sedēre, to sit; see sed- in Indo-European roots.]
pos·ses′sor n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
possess
(pəˈzɛs)vb (tr)
1. to have as one's property; own
2. to have as a quality, faculty, characteristic, etc: to possess good eyesight.
3. to have knowledge or mastery of: to possess a little French.
4. to gain control over or dominate: whatever possessed you to act so foolishly?.
5. (foll by of) to cause to be the owner or possessor: I am possessed of the necessary information.
6. (often foll by with) to cause to be influenced or dominated (by): the news possessed him with anger.
7. to have sexual intercourse with
8. rare to keep control over or maintain (oneself or one's feelings) in a certain state or condition: possess yourself in patience until I tell you the news.
9. archaic to gain or seize
[C15: from Old French possesser, from Latin possidēre to own, occupy; related to Latin sedēre to sit]
posˈsessor n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
pos•sess
(pəˈzɛs)v.t.
1. to have as belonging to one; have as property; own.
2. to have as a faculty, quality, or the like: possess intelligence.
3. (of a spirit, esp. an evil one) to occupy or control (a person) from within: be possessed by demons.
4. (of a feeling, idea, etc.) to dominate or actuate in the manner of such a spirit.
5. to cause to be dominated or influenced, as by an idea or feeling.
6. to have knowledge of, as a language.
7. to keep or maintain in a certain state, as of peace or patience.
8. to make (someone) owner, holder, or master, as of property or information.
9. (of a man) to have sexual intercourse with.
10. to seize or take; gain.
[1425–75; late Middle English possesen < Middle French possess(i)er, n. derivative of possession possession]
pos•ses′sor, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
possess
The verb possess is usually used to say that someone or something has a quality, ability, or feature.
Energetic and sagacious, Snodgrass possessed the very qualities needed.
For hundreds of years London possessed only one bridge.
This is a fairly formal use. In conversation, you do not use 'possess'. Instead you use have or have got.
In legal English, if you possess an object or substance, you own it or have it with you.
They were found guilty of possessing petrol bombs.
...the arrest of the mayor on charges of possessing cocaine.
Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012
possess
Past participle: possessed
Gerund: possessing
| Imperative |
|---|
| possess |
| possess |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Verb | 1. | possess - have as an attribute, knowledge, or skill; "he possesses great knowledge about the Middle East" exhibit - show an attribute, property, knowledge, or skill; "he exhibits a great talent" |
| 2. | possess - have ownership or possession of; "He owns three houses in Florida"; "How many cars does she have?" prepossess - possess beforehand | |
| 3. | possess - enter into and control, as of emotions or ideas; "What possessed you to buy this house?"; "A terrible rage possessed her" dominate - be in control; "Her husband completely dominates her" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
possess
verb
1. own, have, hold, be in possession of, be the owner of, have in your possession, have to your name He is said to possess a huge fortune.
2. be endowed with, have, enjoy, benefit from, be born with, be blessed with, be possessed of, be gifted with individuals who possess the qualities of sense and discretion
3. control, influence, dominate, consume, obsess, bedevil, mesmerize, eat someone up, fixate, put under a spell Absolute terror possessed her.
4. seize, hold, control, dominate, occupy, haunt, take someone over, bewitch, take possession of, have power over, have mastery over It was as if the spirit of his father possessed him.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
possess
verb6. To dominate the mind or thoughts of:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
يـَمْتَلِكيَمْلُك، يَمْتَلِك
vlastnitmít
besiddeeje
haviposedi
omistaa
posjedovati
eiga
所有する
소유하다
savininkiškaisavininkiškassavininkiškumassavybinisvalda
būtpiederēt
imeti v posesti
besitta
เป็นเจ้าของ
sở hữu
possess
[pəˈzes] VT1. (= have) → tener, poseer; (= own) [+ property] → poseer, ser dueño de
it possesses many advantages → tiene or posee muchas ventajas
to possess a large collection → poseer una gran colección
to possess o.s. of (frm) → tomar posesión de; (violently) → apoderarse de
to possess o.s. or one's soul in patience (liter or hum) → armarse de paciencia
it possesses many advantages → tiene or posee muchas ventajas
to possess a large collection → poseer una gran colección
to possess o.s. of (frm) → tomar posesión de; (violently) → apoderarse de
to possess o.s. or one's soul in patience (liter or hum) → armarse de paciencia
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
possess
[pəˈzɛs] vt (= have) → posséder
(= overwhelm) → s'emparer de
whatever possessed you? → qu'est-ce qui t'a pris?
to be possessed by sth (feeling) → être pris(e) de qch
She was possessed by a frenzied urge to get out of Moscow → Elle fut prise d'une furieuse envie de quitter Moscou.
to be possessed by the devil → être possédé(e) du démon
whatever possessed you? → qu'est-ce qui t'a pris?
to be possessed by sth (feeling) → être pris(e) de qch
She was possessed by a frenzied urge to get out of Moscow → Elle fut prise d'une furieuse envie de quitter Moscou.
to be possessed by the devil → être possédé(e) du démon
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
possess
vt → besitzen; (form) foreign language, facts → verfügen über (+acc); to be possessed of something (form) → über etw (acc) → verfügen; it possesses many advantages → es hat viele Vorteile; to be possessed by demons → von Dämonen besessen sein; to be possessed by the urge to do something → von dem Drang besessen sein, etw tun zu müssen; like a man/woman possessed → wie ein Besessener/eine Besessene; to fight like one possessed → wie ein Besessener kämpfen; whatever possessed you to do that? → was ist bloß in Sie gefahren, so etwas zu tun?; to possess one’s soul in patience (form) → sich in Geduld fassen
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
possess
[pəˈzɛs] vt → possederelike one possessed → come un ossesso
to be possessed by an idea → essere ossessionato/a da un'idea
whatever can have possessed you? → cosa ti ha preso?
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
possess
(pəˈzes) verb to own or have. How much money does he possess?
posˈsession (-ʃən) noun1. something which is owned by a person, country etc. She lost all her possessions in the fire.
2. the state of possessing.
posˈsessive (-siv) adjective1. showing that someone or something possesses an object etc. `Yours', `mine', `his', `hers', `theirs' are possessive pronouns; `your', `my', `his', `their' are possessive adjectives.
2. acting as though things and people are one's personal possessions. a possessive mother.
posˈsessively adverbposˈsessiveness noun
posˈsessor noun
He is the proud possessor of a new car.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
possess
→ يـَمْتَلِك vlastnit besidde besitzen κατέχω poseer omistaa posséder posjedovati possedere 所有する 소유하다 bezitten være i besittelse av posiąść possuir обладать besitta เป็นเจ้าของ sahip olmak sở hữu 占有Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
possess
v. poseer, tener.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012