possess
v.v. to have or own something. It is a more formal way to say you have a specific quality, skill, or object.
v. to have as a property, attribute, or quality; to exercise ownership or control over something. Often used in formal or legal contexts to describe the holding of assets or specific characteristics.
He does not possess the necessary skills for this job.
The defendant was found to possess several stolen items when the police searched his apartment.
While the candidate does possess an impressive academic record, the committee remains concerned about her lack of practical experience in high-pressure environments.
PIE word *pótis From Middle English possessen (“to have, own; to obtain possession of; to inhabit, occupy”) [and other forms], from Middle French possesser, possessier, Old French possesser, possessier (“to have, own, possess; to dominate”), from Latin possessus (“possessed; seized”), the perfect passive participle of possideō (“to have, hold, own, possess; to have possessions; to take control or possession of, occupy, seize; to abide, inhabit, occupy; to dominate”), from potis (“able, capable, possible”) (from Proto-Indo-European pótis (“master; ruler; husband”)) + sedeō (“to sit; to be seated; to be established, hold firm”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European sed- (“to sit”)).
The verb is transitive and takes a direct object. It is a stative verb, meaning it is rarely used in the continuous (-ing) form.
He is possessing a car.He possesses a car.As a stative verb describing ownership, it is not used in the continuous tense.