Transcription
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
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- [puh-zes]
- /pəˈzɛs/
- /pəˈzes/
-
- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
-
- [puh-zes]
- /pəˈzɛs/
Definitions of possess word
- verb with object possess to have as belonging to one; have as property; own: to possess a house and a car. 1
- verb with object possess to have as a faculty, quality, or the like: to possess courage. 1
- verb with object possess (of a spirit, especially an evil one) to occupy, dominate, or control (a person) from within: He thought he was possessed by devils. 1
- verb with object possess (of a feeling, idea, etc.) to dominate or actuate in the manner of such a spirit: He was possessed by envy. 1
- verb with object possess (of a man) to succeed in having sexual intercourse with. 1
- verb with object possess to have knowledge of: to possess a language. 1
Information block about the term
Origin of possess
First appearance:
before 1425 One of the 25% oldest English words
1425-75; late Middle English possesen < Middle French possess(i)er, noun derivative of possession possession
Historical Comparancy
Parts of speech for Possess
noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
possess popularity
A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 92% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".
possess usage trend in Literature
This diagram is provided by Google Ngram ViewerSynonyms for possess
verb possess
- bear — If you bear something somewhere, you carry it there or take it there.
- boast — If someone boasts about something that they have done or that they own, they talk about it very proudly, in a way that other people may find irritating or offensive.
- bogart — to monopolize or keep (something, esp a marijuana cigarette) to oneself selfishly
- bogarted — to take an unfair share of (something); keep for oneself instead of sharing: Are you gonna bogart that joint all night?
- carry off — If you carry something off, you do it successfully.
Antonyms for possess
verb possess
- bankrupted — Law. a person who upon his or her own petition or that of his or her creditors is adjudged insolvent by a court and whose property is administered for and divided among his or her creditors under a bankruptcy law.
- denudate — denuded; bare
- divest — to strip of clothing, ornament, etc.: The wind divested the trees of their leaves.
verb with object possess
- dispossess — to put (a person) out of possession, especially of real property; oust.
Top questions with possess
- how do you spell possess?
- what does possess mean?
- how to possess someone?
- what four characteristics does every state possess?
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- which organelles of a cell possess their own dna?
- how does an individual come to possess an achieved status?
- amino acids are acids because they possess which functional group?
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- how to possess someone with a demon?
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- how to possess supernatural powers?
- how rich a treasure we possess?
See also
Matching words
- Words starting with p
- Words starting with po
- Words starting with pos
- Words starting with poss
- Words starting with posse
- Words starting with posses
- Words starting with possess