POSSESS


Meaning of POSSESS in English

(~es, ~ing, ~ed)

1.

If you ~ something, you have it or own it.

He was then arrested and charged with ~ing an offensive weapon...

He is said to ~ a fortune of more than two-and-a-half-thousand million dollars.

VERB: no passive, V n, V n

2.

If someone or something ~es a particular quality, ability, or feature, they have it. (FORMAL)

...individuals who are deemed to ~ the qualities of sense, loyalty and discretion...

VERB: no cont, V n

3.

see also ~ed

4.

If you ask what ~ed someone to do something, you are emphasizing your great surprise that they have done something which you consider foolish or dangerous.

What on earth had ~ed her to agree to marry him?

PHRASE: V inflects feelings

Collins COBUILD.      Толковый словарь английского языка для изучающих язык Коллинз COBUILD (международная база данных языков Бирмингемского университета) .