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possess

verb

Simple meaning

To have as, or as if as.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

puhzehs

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

pəˈzɛs

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

verb

  1. transitive

    To have (something) as, or as if as, an owner; to have, to own.

  2. transitive

    Of an idea, thought, etc.: to dominate (someone's mind); to strongly influence.

  3. transitive

    Of a supernatural entity, especially one regarded as evil: to take control of (an animal or person's body or mind).

  4. Have ownership or possession of

  5. Have as an attribute, knowledge, or skill

    “He possesses great knowledge about the Middle East.”

  6. intransitive

    To inhabit or occupy a place.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency
Moderately Common
Typical Use
Neutral / general English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: To have (something) as, or as if as, an owner; to have, to own.

Used this way, possess is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
No strong connotation
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use possess

  • “What possessed you to buy this house?”verb
  • “He possesses great knowledge about the Middle East.”verb

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

now possess

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Inflected forms

Grammatical variations of the same word.

  • possessedadjectiveInflected form

    Of, pertaining to, or like a demon or possession by a demon.

Related words

Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.

  • worldly possessionsnounRelated term

    All the property that someone possesses.

  • criminal possessionnounRelated term

    Possession for which criminal sanctions are provided because the property may not lawfully be possessed or may not be possessed under certain circumstances.

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.