disinvest

[ dis-in-vest ]

verb (used without object)

1. to engage in disinvestment.

verb (used with object)

1. to subject (capital goods) to disinvestment.

disinvest

/ ˌdɪsɪnˈvɛst /

verb

1. usually foll by in to remove investment (from)
2. intr to reduce the capital stock of an economy or enterprise, as by not replacing obsolete machinery

Derived Forms

• ˌdisinˈvestment, noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of disinvest¹

First recorded in 1620–30; dis- ¹ + invest

Example Sentences

“Even if a board said ‘Yes, we want to disinvest,” I think it would be complex to identify and then very, very slow to enact without there being financial consequences.”

From Los Angeles Times

“What I fear is if our government agencies bail on transit, and we choose to disinvest from operations there, riders don’t view transit as being a reliable option anymore,” Lee said.

From Seattle Times

“If you disinvest in it, then people won’t use it. But if you invest in it, arguably more people will use it because it actually becomes a service that’s usable.”

From Washington Times

The country has to play catch-up, critics say, because government leaders have moved too slowly in the past decade to disinvest from fossil fuels and to abandon archaic policies that subsidize dirty sources of energy.

From Washington Post

The ideological and institutional structures of neoliberalism do more than disinvest in young people.

From Salon