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📕 rednote ID(小红书号)：3881567312

Possession: Definition, Usage & Key Examples (2 meaning)

Meaning 1：things owned (possession)

possession 🔊

/pəˈzeʃn/

The things that you own, especially your personal belongings and property.

Possession illustration showing personal belongings packed in a box, representing owned items.

things owned 🔊

➕

/θɪŋz oʊnd/

Refers to the physical items or property that a person owns.

📁 Category：Social Economy 🔖 Level：初级

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Latin 'possidere' (to have, hold, occupy), via Old French. Root: pos (power) + sess (to sit) → 'to sit with power' over something.

💡 Mnemonic

Think: 'own' + 'session'. A possession is something you have an ownership session with.

📖 Example

As he packed for the move, he realized how few possessions he truly needed. 🔊 As he packed for the move, he realized how few things he owned that he truly needed.

🔗 Collocations

material possessions – physical items that one owns

personal possessions – items belonging to an individual

worldly possessions – all of one's material goods

🔄 Synonyms

belongings (n.) – One's personal movable property.

property (n.) – Things owned collectively or something owned as real estate.

assets (n.) – Items of ownership that have value.

🌱 Derivatives

possess (v.) – to own or have something

possessive (adj.) – desiring to own or control

📖 Cultural Story

In legal contexts, 'possession is nine-tenths of the law' reflects its practical importance in common law systems. This adage underscores that physical control of an item often establishes a strong presumption of ownership, highlighting the concept's deep roots in societal rules of property.

Meaning 2：state of owning (possession)

possession 🔊

/pəˈzeʃn/

The state or fact of having something as your own; the act or condition of owning.

Possession concept image of a hand holding a house key, symbolizing ownership and control.

state of owning 🔊

➕

/steɪt əv ˈoʊnɪŋ/

Refers to the legal fact or condition of having control and ownership over something.

📁 Category：Laws & Regulations 🔖 Level：中级

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

He took great pride in the possession of his grandfather's old watch, a family heirloom. 🔊 He took great pride in the state of owning his grandfather's old watch, a family heirloom.

🔗 Collocations

take possession of – to acquire ownership or control of something

in possession of – having or holding something

legal possession – ownership recognized by law

🔄 Synonyms

ownership (n.) – The state or right of possessing something.

custody (n.) – The protective care or guardianship of something.

control (n.) – The power to influence or direct something.

🚫 Antonyms

lack (n.) – The state of being without or not having enough of something.

loss (n.) – The fact or process of losing something.