Crossword Genius

In American city, possesses capital (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

lhasa

'capital' is the definition.
(Lhasa is an example)

'in american city possesses' is the wordplay.
'in' is an insertion indicator.
'american city' becomes 'LA' (abbreviation for Los Angeles).
'possesses' becomes 'has' ('have' can be a synonym of 'possess').
'la' placed around 'has' is 'LHASA'.

(Other definitions for lhasa that I've seen before include "Tibetan holy city" , "Tibetan dog breed" , "The Forbidden City in Tibet" , "Asian capital" , "Group; stripe" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.