repossess

verb

re·​pos·​sess ˌrē-pə-ˈzes 

 also  -ˈses

repossessed; repossessing; repossesses

transitive verb

1

a

: to regain possession of

b

: to take possession of (something bought) from a buyer in default of the payment of installments due

2

: to restore to possession

repossession

ˌrē-pə-ˈze-shən 

 also  -ˈse-

noun

repossessor

ˌrē-pə-ˈze-sər 

 also  -ˈse-

noun

Synonyms

• get back
• re-collect
• reacquire
• recapture
• reclaim
• recoup
• recover
• regain
• retake
• retrieve

Examples of repossess in a Sentence

The bank repossessed her truck.

if you don't pay off the loan, the bank will come and repossess your car

Recent Examples on the Web

While high-loan costs made today won’t hit the economy for several years, experts say, vehicles bought during the pandemic by customers with federal stimulus cash are increasingly being repossessed. —Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY, 21 Sep. 2024

Many companies would be preparing to count those loans as losses, send them to a collection agency and repossess the cars. —Ryan Gabrielson, ProPublica, 12 Sep. 2024

Thank you to my friends who were there when my Jetta was repossessed. —Glenn Garner, Deadline, 11 Sep. 2024

This comes at the tail end of a month in which the DVD rental company defaulted on loans, saw an order for its cars to be repossessed, and missed payroll for employees. —Janko Roettgers, The Verge, 29 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

repossess

verb

re·​pos·​sess ˌrē-pə-ˈzes 

: to regain or retake possession of

repossession

-ˈzesh-ən 

noun

Legal Definition

repossess

transitive verb

re·​pos·​sess ˌrē-pə-ˈzes 

: to regain possession of

especially : to take possession of again by judicial process or self-help upon default of the payment of installments due compare foreclose, seize sense 2

repossessor

-ˈze-sər 

noun