01 v. t. To occupy in person; to hold or actually have in one's own keeping; to have and to hold.
imp. & p. p.
Possessed; p. pr. & vb. n.
Possessing
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1.
To occupy in person; to hold or actually have in one's own keeping; to have and to hold.“Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land.” — Jer. xxxii. 15.“Yet beauty, though injurious, hath strange power, After offense returning, to regain Love once possessed.” — Milton.
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2.
To have the legal title to; to have a just right to; to be master of; to own; to have; as, to possess property, an estate, a book.“I am yours, and all that I possess.” — Shak.
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3.
To obtain occupation or possession of; to accomplish; to gain; to seize.“How . . . to possess the purpose they desired.” — Spenser.
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4.
To enter into and influence; to control the will of; to fill; to affect; -- said especially of evil spirits, passions, etc.“Those which were possessed with devils.” — Matt. iv. 24.“For ten inspired, ten thousand are possessed.” — Roscommon.
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5.
To put in possession; to make the owner or holder of property, power, knowledge, etc.; to acquaint; to inform; -- followed by of or with before the thing possessed, and now commonly used reflexively.“I have possessed your grace of what I purpose.” — Shak.“Record a gift . . . of all he dies possessed Unto his son.” — Shak.“We possessed our selves of the kingdom of Naples.” — Addison.“To possess our minds with an habitual good intention.” — Addison.
Syn.
To have; hold; occupy; control; own.
-- Possess, Have. Have is the more general word. To possess denotes to have as a property. It usually implies more permanence or definiteness of control or ownership than is involved in having. A man does not possess his wife and children: they are (so to speak) part of himself. For the same reason, we have the faculties of reason, understanding, will, sound judgment, etc.: they are exercises of the mind, not possessions.