possession

noun

pə-ˈze-shən How to pronounce possession (audio)
Definition of possessionnext
1
as in hands
the fact or state of having (something) at one's disposal a student who was found to have several overdue library books in his possession

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in belongings
possessions plural transportable items that one owns we packed up all of our possessions and excitedly moved into a new house

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3
as in occupancy
the act or fact of residing in a place squatters had established possession in the abandoned warehouse

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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 possession For Dëmin, the adjustment involves sustaining urgency through possessions when somebody else is directing the offense. — C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 22 Oct. 2026 The woman was also in possession of another missing woman's ID. — Frederick Sutton Sinclair, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026 The Patriots look to get their running game going and keep Caleb Williams off the field, and the Bears will continue to hand the ball off regularly in hopes of owning time of possession. — Outkick, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2026 By the time Wilson clocked the loss of possession, most of the Raptors lineup was already down the court. — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for possession
Recent Examples of Synonyms for possession
  1. hands
  2. belongings
  3. occupancy
  4. enjoyment
  5. things
  6. occupation
  7. stuff
  8. habitation
Noun
  • The video shows four deputies running after Garza along Interstate 10 in Palm Springs, with Garza facing the deputies several times while holding an object in his hands.
    — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Alaska’s bid for statehood, in the late nineteen-fifties, was in part a matter of keeping the hands of Seattle businessmen off local salmon stocks.
    — Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of hands
Noun
  • That opened the golfer up to having his girlfriend riffle through his belongings in order to make content for social media.
    — Sean Joseph OutKick, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Contractors will continue working in the parking garage over the next four to six weeks before tenants can enter the Empire Towers building to retrieve their belongings, attorneys said.
    — Adam Thompson, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of belongings
Noun
  • But elevated fuel costs have made executives more willing to sacrifice occupancy and avoid discounts.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, for instance, has struggled with occupancy despite major marketing campaigns and has accumulated nearly $700 million in losses since 2017, according to the Financial Times.
    — Contessa Brewer,Ryan Ruggiero, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of occupancy
Noun
  • In a Harris Poll survey published Wednesday, 65% of American adults reported spending $100 or more on playful activities or products — such as craft kits or action figures — for personal enjoyment between June 2025 and June 2026.
    — Renée Onque, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026
  • My enjoyment now came from sitting back and watching her shine.
    — Diana Daniele, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of enjoyment
Noun
  • Born in 1888, Jim Casey spent his life, starting at the tender age of eleven, thinking about how to deliver things more efficiently.
    — Marc Levinson, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2026
  • New York — Brett Smiley was elected mayor of Providence in 2022 on a pledge to build more housing and get things done in Rhode Island’s capital city.
    — Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of things
Noun
  • And though some Palestinians were justly fighting to end the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza and to create an independent state, others were waging an unjust war to destroy Israel altogether.
    — Jordi Graupera, New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Across 25 occupations that past technology upended, employment fell an extra 4% over five years for every point the national unemployment rate climbed.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of occupation
Noun
  • That's the stuff that my opponent has voted for at the state capital.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026
  • On the sweet side, several of our editors adore Coop’s dessert sauces, which far exceed the usual grocery store stuff.
    — Wilder Davies, Bon Appetit Magazine, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of stuff
Noun
  • Italy’s commitment to build a habitation module and Japan’s contribution of a pressurized rover offer something new to NASA, which didn’t have contracts with US companies to do that work.
    — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Many Gazans have remained in homes now unsafe for habitation.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of habitation

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possessing
possession
possessionless
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Cite this Entry

“Possession.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/possession. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about possession

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