possess oneself of something—
1. take possession of smth.:
- Diving below, he possessed himself of the money he had stowed away in his bundle when he came aboard.
2. appropriate smth. to one’s use, especially unlawfully or unfairly:
- By the aid of his brother who was bishop of Winchester, he possessed himself of the royal treasure.
possess something—have or own something:
- The young man spent his boyhood at Capri, where his father possessed a house near the residence of the emperor.