Repossession: meaning, definitions and examples

Best used in legal and financial contexts when a lender takes back property due to defaulted payments.

• The bank initiated the repossession of the house after several missed mortgage payments.
• Car repossession rates have risen as the economy struggles.

Commonly used in general or environmental contexts to describe recovering something or taking back possession, often with a sense of effort or right.

• She focused on reclaiming her health through regular exercise and a balanced diet.
• The community worked hard in reclaiming the abandoned park.

Often used in legal or law enforcement contexts to describe the act of taking possession forcibly or by legal right, usually carries negative connotations.

• The police executed a seizure of illegal drugs at the warehouse.
• The seizure of assets by the government was part of the investigation.

Appropriate in formal contexts to describe the act of gaining possession or control again, often used in business or historical contexts.

• The company celebrated the reacquisition of their previous headquarters.
• The town’s reacquisition of the land was crucial for the public park project.

This term is mainly used in financial and legal contexts when a lender takes back an item, typically property or a vehicle, due to non-payment by the borrower. It has a somewhat formal and potentially negative connotation.

• The bank initiated the repossession of the car after the payments were missed.
• He faced repossession of his house due to his inability to pay the mortgage.

This word is versatile and commonly used to describe regaining health, restoring a situation to a normal state, or getting back something that was lost or stolen. It has a positive connotation.

• Her recovery from the illness took several weeks.
• The company worked hard for the recovery of its lost data.

This term is almost exclusively used in contexts involving capturing something again, often through active and possibly aggressive means. It can apply to exam situations or military actions but usually suggests doing something over or regaining something through effort.

• After failing the test, he was determined to succeed on the retaking.
• The soldiers planned a strategy for the retaking of the fort.

This term is commonly used in military or strategic contexts when trying to get back something that was lost. It can also appear in contexts of re-experiencing something, like a feeling or moment, but mainly conveys a sense of struggle or effort to regain control.

• The army aimed to recapture the territory from the invaders.
• She tried to recapture the joy from her childhood vacations.