possession

[ puh-zesh-uhn ]
See synonyms for: possessionpossessions on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. the act or fact of possessing.

  2. the state of being possessed.

  1. Law. actual holding or occupancy, either with or without rights of ownership.

  2. a thing possessed: He packed all his possessions into one trunk.

  3. possessions, property or wealth.

  4. a territorial dominion of a state.

  5. Sports.

    • physical control of the ball or puck by a player or team: He didn't have full possession when he was tackled.

    • the right of a team to put the ball into play: They had possession after the other team sank a free throw.

  6. control over oneself, one's mind, etc.

  7. domination, actuation, or obsession by a feeling, idea, etc.

  8. the feeling or idea itself.

Origin of possession

1
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Latin possessiōn-, stem of possessiō “occupancy, act of occupying,” from possess(us) “occupied” (past participle of possidēre “to have in one's control, occupy,” from pos-, combining form of pot(is) “able” + -sidēre, combining form of sedēre “to sit”) + -iō -ion;see also host1, sit1

synonym study For possession

1, 3. See custody.

Other words for possession

Other words from possession

  • non·pos·ses·sion, noun

Words Nearby possession

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use possession in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for possession

possession

/ (pəˈzɛʃən) /


noun
  1. the act of possessing or state of being possessed: in possession of the crown

  2. anything that is owned or possessed

  1. (plural) wealth or property

  2. the state of being controlled or dominated by or as if by evil spirits

  3. the physical control or occupancy of land, property, etc, whether or not accompanied by ownership: to take possession of a house

  4. a territory subject to a foreign state or to a sovereign prince: colonial possessions

  5. sport control of the ball, puck, etc, as exercised by a player or team: he lost possession in his own half

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012