The meaning of POSSESS is to have and hold as property : own. How to use possess in a sentence. POSSESS definition: 1.

Understanding the Context

to have or own something, or to have a particular quality: 2. (of a wish or an idea) to take…. Learn more. Definition of possess verb in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

Key Insights

Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more. If you possess something, you have it or own it. He was then arrested and charged with possessing an offensive weapon. [VERB noun] He is said to possess a fortune of more than two-and-a-half-thousand million dollars. [VERB noun] possess (third-person singular simple present possesses, present participle possessing, simple past and past participle possessed) (transitive) To have (something) as, or as if as, an owner; to have, to own.

Final Thoughts

To possess something is to have or own it. You can possess a physical object, you can possess a particular quality or skill, or you can possess control or influence over someone. to have as a part of one's mind, or as a quality:[not: be + ~-ing] She possesses great wit. (of a spirit, esp. an evil one) to control (a person) from within: possessed by demons. (of a feeling, etc.) to influence in the manner of such a spirit: A raging fury possessed him.

[~ + object + to + verb] What in the world possessed you to do this? 1. to have as belonging to one; have as property; own. 2.