possessed by

Idioms  

1. 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.

---

Example Sentences

However, M855 ammunition made for the U.S. military is packaged differently and cannot be possessed by or sold to the public.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 29, 2026

When Ben Rosenfeld started working as a residential assistant at a Stanford University dorm, he encountered 77 freshmen possessed by an “all-consuming” force.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 10, 2026

They say the apple never falls far from the tree, although in the case of Eder Sarabia the skills he inherited were different to those possessed by his father Manu.

From BBC • Oct. 31, 2025

At the helm was Osbourne, who channeled the darker forces within this music with hypnotic wild-child abandon, as if he were possessed by the hellfire spirit.

From Salon • Jul. 26, 2025

“Henrietta rose up out that bed wailin like she been possessed by the devil of pain itself.”

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot