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3. possessed

possessed

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*possessed by something

obsessed or driven by something. (*Typically: be ~; become ~.) Ned was possessed by a desire to become the best at everything he did. Jan acts as if she is possessed by the need to be right all the time.

See also: possessed

*possessed of something

having something; possessing something. (*Typically: be ~; become ~.) She is possessed of a large amount of money. Todd wishes he were possessed of a large car and a fine house.

See also: of, possessed

like a man/woman possessed

if you do something like a man possessed, you do it with a lot of energy in a way that is not controlled He'd lost the tickets and was running round the house like a man possessed.

See also: like, man, possessed

possessed by

Driven by, obsessed with, as in He was possessed by the idea of becoming a millionaire. This idiom employs possess in the sense of "dominate one's thoughts or ideas," a usage dating from the late 1500s.

See also: possessed