Possess Afraid Pəˈzes Possessing I Possessed Past Suitcase

• 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

1. 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.
2. to have a particular quality or feature
• I'm afraid he doesn't possess a sense of humour.
• He credited her with a maturity she did not possess.
3. to have a powerful effect on somebody and control the way that they think, behave, etc.
• A terrible fear possessed her.
4. to make somebody do something that seems strange or unreasonable
• What possessed him to say such a thing?

Extra Examples

• I’m afraid he doesn’t possess a sense of humour.
• I’m afraid this is the only suitcase I possess.
• The gallery possesses a number of the artist’s early works.

Verb Forms

• present simple I / you / we / they possess
• he / she / it possesses
• past simple possessed
• past participle possessed
• past simple possessing
• past participle possessing

Word Origin

• late Middle English: from Old French possesser, from Latin possess- ‘occupied, held’, from the verb possidere, from potis ‘able, capable’ + sedere ‘sit’.