possessive

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

With her husband so frequently absent, child-rearing fell almost entirely to Frances, who proved a loving but possessive mother.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 12, 2026

Atencio’s fiendish feline would have followed guests throughout the ride, a creature said to despise living humans and with predatory, possessive instincts.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 5, 2025

The inquest has also heard that Gunner Beck received thousands of messages from another senior colleague, Bombardier Ryan Mason, whom she described as being "psychotic and possessive".

From BBC • Feb. 11, 2025

As it moved through TikTok and Instagram, the term focused solely on the plural possessive, as people jokingly addressed their intangible audiences.

From Slate • Nov. 3, 2024

A high school teacher complained that it did, because the possessive phrase Toni Morrison’s cannot serve as the antecedent of the pronoun her.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker