as in to have
to keep, control, or experience as one's own
she possesses a keen insight into people
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of possess
Both titles possess the fulsome tones of Miyazaki-style Japanese anime.
—
Kevin Giraud,
Variety,
29 June 2026
Nigeria have failed to qualify for back-to-back tournaments since then despite possessing a talented squad which includes Galatasaray’s Victor Osimhen and Atletico Madrid forward Ademola Lookman.
—
Jay Harris,
New York Times,
29 June 2026
Even the richest emperors of the past did not have the ability to satisfy their whims that is now possessed by any student in Chicago or Berlin or Kinshasa.
—
Simon Sebag Montefiore,
The Atlantic,
28 June 2026
For employers building out their presence in the space economy, this means continually competing for the select pool of workers who possess the skillsets needed to sustain current operations and long-term growth.
—
Paxton Honerkamp,
CNBC,
27 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for possess
Kevin Giraud,
Variety,
29 June 2026
Nigeria have failed to qualify for back-to-back tournaments since then despite possessing a talented squad which includes Galatasaray’s Victor Osimhen and Atletico Madrid forward Ademola Lookman.
—
Jay Harris,
New York Times,
29 June 2026
Even the richest emperors of the past did not have the ability to satisfy their whims that is now possessed by any student in Chicago or Berlin or Kinshasa.
—
Simon Sebag Montefiore,
The Atlantic,
28 June 2026
For employers building out their presence in the space economy, this means continually competing for the select pool of workers who possess the skillsets needed to sustain current operations and long-term growth.
—
Paxton Honerkamp,
CNBC,
27 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for possess
Recent Examples of Synonyms for possess
Verb
-
The landmark property celebrates the style of the sixties, when air travel still had a spark of glamor.
-
The Chiefs have a world championship banner hanging atop the press box.
Verb
-
The Heat began Tuesday by retaining three-point shooting forward Simone Fontecchio in free agency, and then continued to address its need for outside shooting when league-wide free agent negotiations were permitted to begin Tuesday night.
-
Buildings with no air conditioning will heat up and retain the heat.
Verb
-
Its focus is on converting and owning the datasets, Manish Agarwal, co-founder of Humyn Labs, told CNBC.
-
Baby boomer empty nesters still own almost twice the share of large homes as millennial families, according to Redfin data, and many aren’t planning on leaving any time soon.
Verb
-
India’s government, which has long leveraged a hard line on Pakistan for domestic political advantage, enjoyed a rally-around-the-flag effect that gave it a useful boost one year after a worse-than-expected performance in national elections.
-
Away from basketball, the two players enjoy plenty of interests.
Cite this Entry
“Possess.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/possess. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
