Words / B2

p-uh-ZES/pəˈzes/

To possess is to have or own, or to have a quality: possess a reader; possess the skills. Have is everyday; own stresses legal ownership. Candidates who possess a reader still sit the same paper. Formal register. Noun: possession. Do not use possess for a brief borrow.

Meaning

To have or own something; also to have a quality.

Examples

• “Candidates who possess a reader must still sit the same paper.”
• “The sample did not possess enough power, which is the quality sense.”

Good to know

possess + noun / a quality. Everyday: have. Legal: own. Noun: possession. Formal exam and legal English. Having, not borrowing.

Near in meaning

have

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