possession

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
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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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 possession Next possession: Compton extended his endless arms to tip an offensive rebound to himself, then flew in for a layup. Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Mar. 2025 Sanchez has been arrested at least a dozen times, mostly for grand theft, gun charges, drugs, burglary, kidnapping, possession of meth and possession of burglary tools, the sources said. Bill Melugin, Fox News, 8 Mar. 2025 Matthew has been charged with first-degree murder, as well as related weapons possession and animal cruelty charges. Laura Barcella, People.com, 7 Mar. 2025 Emotional safety is linked to material possessions while the moon moves through Cancer. USA TODAY, 7 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for possession
Recent Examples of Synonyms for possession
Noun
  • Noninterest expense rose by 5.4% to $87.3 million, driven by increases in compensation and benefits, data processing, and occupancy expenses.
    Quartz Intelligence Newsroom, Quartz, 12 Mar. 2025
  • As its name makes clear, the Roof Space 4 doubles the occupancy of the original Roof Space 2 to sleep a total of four people.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 11 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • The natural base and silk petals will provide many seasons of enjoyment, and the wreath comes wired for easy mounting with a sturdy box for off-season storage.
    Miles Walls, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Mar. 2025
  • Malone describes it as a wine built for both early enjoyment and long-term aging.
    Rachel King, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • The challenge has always been to figure out how to personalize things without spending inordinate amounts of time and money mapping out every possible path a student might take.
    Ray Ravaglia, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2024
  • As a business owner, higher profit margins, all other things being equal, are more valuable.
    Bill Stone, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • The 13th century sculpted item is currently on view in the Louvre’s Denon wing, where a label says it was acquired during the German occupation of France, with the intention of displaying it in a Düsseldorf museum.
    The Editors of ARTnews, ARTnews.com, 21 Mar. 2025
  • That’s too bad for several reasons, including Lee’s meticulous reconstruction of Hong Kong and Shanghai under Japanese occupation, paranoid, perilous places in which anyone could be working with the occupying forces or conspiring against them.
    Keith Phipps, Vulture, 19 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Photograph: Simon Hill; Getty Images Losing all the stuff on your phone was no big deal before the smartphone age.
    Simon Hill, WIRED, 12 Mar. 2025
  • But extraterrestrial enthusiasts should know that this movie is about 90 percent dad stuff, and only 10 percent aliens.
    Katie Rife, IndieWire, 12 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • In Africa, the earliest evidence of human rainforest habitation dated to 18,000 years ago.
    Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Mar. 2025
  • Ice may lie an inch or so below the Moon’s surface in many more regions than previously thought — which has major implications for longer-term lunar exploration or even habitation.
    Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 6 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Possession.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/possession. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.

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