Definition

1. Verb:
   • To regain possession of something, especially property or goods, typically because the buyer or borrower has failed to meet the payment terms. This is the primary legal and financial meaning, referring to a creditor or seller taking back an item.
   • To claim back. A more general sense of taking something back into one's ownership or control.

Usage

• The verb repossess is transitive and is most commonly used in contexts of finance, law, and commerce. It describes a formal action taken by a legal owner (like a bank or finance company) to recover an asset (like a car or house) when the person using it defaults on payments.
• Common sentence patterns: or .

Examples

• Verb:
  • The bank had to repossess the car after the owner missed six consecutive payments.
  • If you default on your mortgage, the lender can repossess your home.
  • The furniture was repossessed by the store when the installment plan was breached.

Advanced Usage

• "to repossess oneself of something" (formal/literary): To regain composure, control, or possession in a non-material sense.
  • After the shocking news, it took her a moment to repossess herself of her faculties.

Variants and Related Words

• Repossession (n): The act or instance of repossessing.
  • The repossession of the vehicle was carried out by a licensed agent.
• Repossessor (n): A person or agent whose job is to repossess property.
  • The repossessor arrived to take the truck.

Synonyms

• Seize back: To take back forcibly or legally.
• Take back: A more general term for reclaiming possession.
• Recover: To get back something that was lost or taken.
• Confiscate: To take possession of something, often as a penalty (implies authority, but not necessarily prior ownership).

Phrasal Verbs

(This word does not commonly form phrasal verbs.)

Related Idioms

(There are no common idioms directly centered on the word "repossess.")

Verb

1. regain possession of something
2. claim back