What's the difference between boast and possess?

Boast


Definition:

  • (v. i.) To vaunt one's self; to brag; to say or tell things which are intended to give others a high opinion of one's self or of things belonging to one's self; as, to boast of one's exploits courage, descent, wealth.
  • (v. i.) To speak in exulting language of another; to glory; to exult.
  • (v. t.) To display in ostentatious language; to speak of with pride, vanity, or exultation, with a view to self-commendation; to extol.
  • (v. t.) To display vaingloriously.
  • (v. t.) To possess or have; as, to boast a name.
  • (v. t.) To dress, as a stone, with a broad chisel.
  • (v. t.) To shape roughly as a preparation for the finer work to follow; to cut to the general form required.
  • (n.) Act of boasting; vaunting or bragging.
  • (n.) The cause of boasting; occasion of pride or exultation, -- sometimes of laudable pride or exultation.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) But Abaaoud, the man thought to be a key planner for the group behind the Paris attacks, boasted to a niece that he had brought around 90 militants back to Europe with him.
  • (2) If that's something to boast about, then living off inherited wealth must be something to be ashamed of.
  • (3) Grillo boasted it had achieved its prominence in the space of little more than three years, "with no money and no [state] funding."
  • (4) We fought back and we won,” she said, boasting that the CFPB had already recouped $4bn for ordinary people from major financial institutions.
  • (5) He boasts that his time as America's ambassador to China shows more experience in vital foreign policy than any other candidate.
  • (6) Compare her with Megan Draper, who is in a minidress too, but one that is several inches shorter and boasts the swirling lava-lamp prints that may have been seen in Vogue at the time.
  • (7) 'No social housing' boasts luxury London flat advert for foreign investors Read more Only by rebalancing housing provision can we avoid another bursting property bubble.
  • (8) You get like three days where you have to show up?” But the younger rival managed to turn difficult questions into an opportunity to boast of his humble background and promise of change.
  • (9) For real will-this-do illustrating, look no further than conjoined twins Tip and Tap , although they admittedly boast a certain erstaz charm not seen post- Pique (the much-maligned Goleo VI and Pille the Erudite Ball apart).
  • (10) Among the secret papers about their abduction that were discovered during the Libyan revolution was a signed letter from the then head of counter-terrorism at MI6, Mark Allen , in which he boasted of his agency's role in one of the operations.
  • (11) A friend heard the butcher boast five shillings that he would be let off again by the tribunal, for the sixth time.
  • (12) The museum is also planning a "new major exhibition" in Manchester and boasts of leading a global network of more than 1,600 cultural and educational organisations for the commemorations, due to run until 2018.
  • (13) So it’s comforting to note that Spectre seems to be offering a significant upgrade: the trailer shows Q introducing Bond to his new ultra-speedy Aston Martin DB10, and promising it boasts a “few tricks”.
  • (14) He will not be easily replaced, but Ogletree is the top inside linebacker in this year's draft, boasting greater range and athleticism than the more talked-about Manti Te'o.
  • (15) This term, the nursery school boasts eight nationalities.
  • (16) The rightwing extremist who confessed to the mass killings in Norway boasted in court on Monday that there were two more cells from his terror network still at large, prompting an international investigation for collaborators.
  • (17) The men and women between them can now boast four medals at this Games, surpassing their targets (they had hoped for one or two), not to mention the British women's best placing in 84 years in the team final.
  • (18) But her departure is also likely to mark the end of a period when the last cabinet secretary, Gus (now Lord) O'Donnell, could make his favourite boast that under his watch half the people in charge of government departments were women.
  • (19) Speaking in Queensland earlier this month , Abbott boasted that “any other government, I suspect, would quickly succumb to the cries of the human rights lawyers”.
  • (20) And the presence of actively engaged men was another sign of what seems to have been new and transformative this year – which is key, because changing the world for women means changing what is acceptable and admirable among men, where misogynist behaviour has long been, in some circles, something to boast about.

Possess


Definition:

  • (v. t.) To occupy in person; to hold or actually have in one's own keeping; to have and to hold.
  • (v. t.) To have the legal title to; to have a just right to; to be master of; to own; to have; as, to possess property, an estate, a book.
  • (v. t.) To obtain occupation or possession of; to accomplish; to gain; to seize.
  • (v. t.) To enter into and influence; to control the will of; to fill; to affect; -- said especially of evil spirits, passions, etc.
  • (v. t.) To put in possession; to make the owner or holder of property, power, knowledge, etc.; to acquaint; to inform; -- followed by of or with before the thing possessed, and now commonly used reflexively.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) These results indicate that astrocytes possess bradykinin receptors and that these are predominantly of the B2 subtype.
  • (2) Escherichia enterotoxigenic strains, Yersinia enterocolitica and Salmonella typhimurium virulent strains, Campylobacter jejuni clinical isolates possess more pronounced capacity for adhesion to enteric cells of Peyer's plaques than to other types of epithelial cells, which may be of importance in the pathogenesis of these infections.
  • (3) Cop rats, however, possess a single 'suppressor' gene which confers complete resistance to mammary cancer.
  • (4) I would immediately look askance at anyone who lacks the last and possesses the first.
  • (5) The blockade of H2 receptors is the primary action of these drugs; however, they possess also secondary actions which may represent untoward effects but in some cases may be actually useful (increase in prostaglandin synthesis, inhibition of LTB4 synthesis, etc.)
  • (6) The E. coli used did not possess collagenolytic activity nor did a variety of common aerobic clinical isolates.
  • (7) These results indicate that both the renal brush-border and basolateral membranes possess the Na(+)-dependent dicarboxylate transport system with very similar properties but with different substrate affinity and transport capacity.
  • (8) This suggests that the latter group does not possess the genetic equipment (Ir genes) to recognize the antigenic determinants and to synthesize the corresponding antibodies.
  • (9) 2-(4'-Isobutylphenyl)propionic acid, ibuprofen, is an antiinflammatory agent which possesses moderate platelet aggregation inhibitory activity.
  • (10) Thallium-201, a radiopharmaceutical that possesses many of the characteristics of potassium analogues, at present is receiving the greatest attention as a regional blood flow indicator.
  • (11) In contrast, strains carrying the substitutions Ile-30----Phe, Gly-33----Leu, Gly-58----Leu, and Lys-34----Val and the Lys-34----Val, Glu-37----Gln double substitution were found to possess a coupled phenotype similar to that of the wild type.
  • (12) These findings indicate an association between HLA-B7 and ankylosing spondylitis in American blacks and suggest that these patients who lack B27 but possess B7 represent a subgroup of patients with this disease.
  • (13) As Heseltine himself argued, after the success of last summer's Olympics, "our aim must be to become a nation of cities possessed of London's confidence and elan" .
  • (14) Rhesus monkey BAT mitochondria (BATM) possess an uncoupling protein that is characteristic of BAT as evidenced by the binding of [3H]GDP, the inhibition by GDP of the high Cl- permeability or rapid alpha-glycerol-3-phosphate oxidation.
  • (15) These preliminary experiments suggest that oSm is similar to IGF-I in its binding characteristics and that primary cultures of skeletal muscle satellite cells possess type I and type II IGF receptors.
  • (16) Acetylcholinesterase is a key enzyme in cholinergic neurotransmission for hydrolyzing acetylcholine and has been shown to possess arylacylamidase activity in addition to esterase activity.
  • (17) Moloney murine sarcoma virus ts110 possesses a thermosensitive splicing defect.
  • (18) Two group G streptococcal cultures (G 10187, G 11122) with surface antigen T4 possess surface receptors for human haptoglobin (Hp).
  • (19) The fact that the security service was in possession of and retained the copy tape until the early summer of 1985 and did not bring it to the attention of Mr Stalker is wholly reprehensible,” he wrote.
  • (20) A series of hierarchical multiple regressions revealed the effects of Surgency, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Emotional Stability, and Intellect on evoking upset in spouses through condescension (e.g., treating spouse as stupid or inferior), possessiveness (demanding too much time and attention), abuse (slapping spouse), unfaithfulness (having sex with others), inconsiderateness (leaving toilet seat up), moodiness (crying a lot), alcohol abuse (drinking too much alcohol), emotional constriction (hiding emotions to act tough), and self-centeredness (acting selfishly).