tr.v., -sessed, -sess·ing, -sess·es.

1. To have as property; own.
2. To have as a quality, characteristic, or other attribute: possessed great tact.
3. To acquire mastery of or have knowledge of: possess valuable data.
4. 1. To gain or exert influence or control over; dominate: Fury possessed me.
   2. To control or maintain (one's nature) in a particular condition: I possessed my temper despite the insult.
5. To cause to own, hold, or master something, such as property or knowledge: She possessed herself of the unclaimed goods.
6. To cause to be influenced or controlled, as by an idea or emotion: The thought of getting rich possessed him.
7. Obsolete. To gain or seize.

[Middle English possessen, from Old French possesser, from Latin possidēre, possess- : pos-, as master + sedēre, to sit.]

possessor pos·ses'sor n.

verb

1. To keep at one's disposal: have, hold, own, retain. See keep/release.
2. To hold on one's person: bear, carry, have. Informal pack. See owned/unowned.
3. To have the use or benefit of: enjoy, have, hold. See owned/unowned.
4. To have at one's disposal: boast, command, enjoy, have, hold. See owned/unowned.
5. To be endowed with as a visible characteristic or form: bear, carry, display, exhibit, have. See show/hide.
6. To dominate the mind or thoughts of: obsess. See control/uncontrol.

v

Definition: have or obtain
Antonyms: dispossess, lose, miss, not have

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IN BRIEF: Have ownership of. Also: Enter into and control.

We possess only the happiness we are able to understand. — Count Maurice Maeterlinck (1862-1949)

Common misspelling(s) of possess

• posess

Dansk (Danish)
v. tr. - eje, besætte

idioms:

• be possessed of    være besat af
• like one possessed    som en besat
• What possessed you?    Hvordan kunne det falde dig ind?

Nederlands (Dutch)
bezitten, in bezit nemen, hebben, beheersen

Français (French)
v. tr. - posséder, détenir, avoir (pouvoir, avantage), s'emparer de

idioms:

• be possessed of    être obsédé par (idée, illusion), être dévoré par
• like one possessed    comme un possédé
• What possessed you?    qu'est-ce qui vous a pris?

Deutsch (German)
v. - besitzen, verfügen über, haben, Besitz nehmen von

idioms:

• be possessed of    haben
• like one possessed    wie ein Besessener
• What possessed you?    Was ist in dich gefahren?

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - (κατ)έχω, κέκτημαι, έχω στην κατοχή μου, νέμομαι, ελέγχω, έχω υπό τον έλεγχό μου, κατέχω, γνωρίζω καλά, (με ενεργητική σημασία) κατακτώ, συνουσιάζομαι, γαμώ

idioms:

• be possessed of    έχω, κατέχω
• like one possessed    σαν δαιμονισμένος
• What possessed you?    τι σ' έπιασε;

Italiano (Italian)
possedere

idioms:

• be possessed of    essere ossessionato da
• like one possessed    come un ossesso
• What possessed you?    che ti prende?

Português (Portuguese)
v. - possuir, ocupar, dominar

idioms:

• be possessed of    ser/estar possuído/possuidor por, ser/estar contaminado por
• like one possessed    como um possesso
• What possessed you?    O que deu em você?

Русский (Russian)
владеть, обладать

idioms:

• be possessed of    быть одержимым, на кого-то нашло
• like one possessed    словно одержимый, словно на него нашло
• What possessed you?    Что на тебя нашло

Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - poseer, tener

idioms:

• be possessed of    poseer algo
• like one possessed    como un endemoniado o un poseído
• What possessed you?    ¿cómo se te ocurrió?

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - äga, ha, behärska, fylla

中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
拥有, 持有, 占有, 具有, 懂得, 掌握

idioms:

• be possessed of    占有, 拥有
• like one possessed    发疯似地
• What possessed you?    到底是什么使你这么做?

中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
v. tr. - 擁有, 持有, 佔有, 具有, 懂得, 掌握

idioms:

• be possessed of    佔有, 擁有
• like one possessed    發瘋似地
• What possessed you?    到底是什麼使你這麼做?

한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - 소유하다, 억제하다

idioms:

• be possessed of    ~에 사로잡히다
• like one possessed    신들린 사람처럼
• What possessed you%?    도대체 왜 하는가%?

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - 所有する, ある, 取りつく

idioms:

• be possessed of    所有している, 持っている
• like one possessed    物につかれたように

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) يملك, يحوز, يقتني, يعرف, يحتفظ‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - ‮היה לו, היה בעל-, החזיק ב-, השתלט, שלט, השפיע‬

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