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Glite Dictionary
👐 To have 😱 To control
to possess

to possess

179 5.3
To feel an emotion or thought take strong control of you
  • verb
  • /pəˈzɛs/
translation icon : poseer
  • You've got to be possessed with the dream and every single day you've got to wake up and put forth effort.
  • become possessed
  • possessed by spirits
  • possessed by a ghost

He says it possesses authority in their thoughts and enjoys honor.

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Examples

  • So what pot, what possessed you to do such a thing?

    StarTalk

  • But after I came home with the pigs, she became possessed by the idea of another child.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • What if words possess a spirit potential to their nature as words?

  • As the years went by, and the child grew to maturity, he found himself possessed of amazing physical powers.

    Superman (1941)

  • Prices rose by the hour and people were possessed by a buying mania.

  • I don't know what possessed me and I got it.

    Film Courage

  • White tried to comfort his weeping wife, she bolted up, possessed by an idea.

  • After that incident, Manitas was like a man possessed and hardly ate or drank.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • When anger takes hold, it can feel like you are possessed by a force you cannot control.

  • She was possessed by a strong desire to succeed, pushing herself to work harder every day.

Synonyms

to control
vsto possess
∞ 2.4

To have power over people, things, or situations

is an internal force that overwhelms someone rather than external management
to dominate
vsto possess
275 3.7

To have strong control over people or things

is an internal feeling that overwhelms and takes over a person's mind or actions

Antonyms

to release
∞ 1.8

To let someone or something go free from being held

to liberate
104 4.3

Set someone free from prison or unfair control

How Overwhelming

to overwhelm
4 4.2
to possess
179 5.3
to consume
193 5.3
influence
806 2.3
to affect
∞ 3.0
to stir
131 3.7

Surface Forms

possess infinitive
possessed past
possessed past participle
possessing present participle
possesses third person singular

Etymology

The word possess also kept another idea from the same Latin root possidēre: being taken over by a strong feeling or spirit. That's why we say someone was 'possessed' by fear or an idea — the feeling 'held' or controlled them strongly.