possess
verb /pəˈzes/
/pəˈzes/
not used in the progressive tensesVerb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they possess | /pəˈzes/ /pəˈzes/ |
| he / she / it possesses | /pəˈzesɪz/ /pəˈzesɪz/ |
| past simple possessed | /pəˈzest/ /pəˈzest/ |
| past participle possessed | /pəˈzest/ /pəˈzest/ |
| past simple possessing | /pəˈzesɪŋ/ /pəˈzesɪŋ/ |
| past participle possessing | /pəˈzesɪŋ/ /pəˈzesɪŋ/ |
- possess something (formal) to have or own something
- He was charged with possessing a shotgun without a licence.
- I'm afraid this is the only suitcase I possess.
- The gallery possesses a number of the artist's early works.
- Belgium was the first European country to possess a fully fledged rail network.
- possess something (formal) to have a particular quality or feature
- I'm afraid he doesn't possess a sense of humour.
- workers who possess the requisite skills for the task
- He credited her with a maturity she did not possess.
- Isaak 's songwriting possesses a timeless quality.
- Young adults possess incredible purchasing power.
- possess somebody (literary) (of a feeling, an emotion, etc.) to have a powerful effect on somebody and control the way that they think, behave, etc.
- A terrible fear possessed her.
- I was possessed by a desire to tell her everything.
- possess somebody to do something (used in negative sentences and questions) to make somebody do something that seems strange or unreasonable
- What possessed him to say such a thing?
Word Originlate Middle English: from Old French possesser, from Latin possess- ‘occupied, held’, from the verb possidere, from potis ‘able, capable’ + sedere ‘sit’.