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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in occupancy
the act or fact of residing in a place
squatters had established possession in the abandoned warehouse
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of possession
It's named after the owner of the mine, Thomas Cullinan, and has been in the possession of the British monarchy since 1907.
—
Emma Banks, InStyle, 7 Jan. 2026
Nevada turns it over on its next two possessions and doesn’t make a basket in its final five.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Jan. 2026
On the final possession, Stirtz missed two of Iowa’s three 3-point attempts on the final possession, including one at the buzzer.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 7 Jan. 2026
That man was arrested, along with Lozano, in an unrelated drug and gun possession investigation later that same day.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for possession
Recent Examples of Synonyms for possession
Noun
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Ross, who was one of several federal agents involved in the arrest, initially drew his service weapon, but holstered the gun after Muñoz-Guatemala stopped his car and raised his hands, according to the affidavit.—
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The deadly shooting of a 37-year-old woman by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in a residential neighborhood in south Minneapolis has brought back painful memories of another high-profile incident in which a civilian died at the hands of a law enforcement officer.—
Noun
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Rourke’s longtime assistant is on vacation, and while his team was first trying to avoid eviction altogether, the actor suddenly needed a new place to stay, movers and a storage shed for his belongings, none of which were in the offing.—
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The suspects hit him with the rifles and demanded belongings from him.—
Noun
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The occupancy rate for its homes and affiliate hotels also dropped from 73% to 56% during that same period, although a $300 increase in average daily rates made up some of the difference.—
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One single occupancy, accessible restroom in the Music Theater lobby.—
Noun
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Half the enjoyment of these toys is being able to carefully break open the egg to reveal the surprise creature inside.—
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The themes of poverty, greed and love, that’s the part that the viewers are putting into their enjoyment of the movie.—
Noun
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However, Chuba Hubbard’s calf injury in the second quarter of the season opened things up for Dowdle to emerge.—
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Jeff Klaiber took those things and molded Lehman into an Olympian, at times pushing boundaries and pushing Lehman to the brink.—
Noun
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Following the German occupation in March 1944, Hungarian and Nazi authorities deported approximately 430,000–440,000 Jews to Auschwitz in a matter of weeks, most of whom were murdered on arrival.—
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The occupation lasted 19 years.—
Noun
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In other words, pedestrian stuff that doesn’t light up social media or earn an invitation to hold forth on one of the Beltway chat shows.—
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Beyond politics, what about the more inside baseball industry stuff?—
Noun
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But curious travelers will find complex layers of human habitation, labor, and trade on islands that are still on the transatlantic routes of birds, whales, and the oil industry.—
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Wild elephants often stray into human habitations this time of year, when rice fields are ready for harvesting.—
Cite this Entry
“Possession.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/possession. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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