dispossess

[ dis-puh-zes ]

verb (used with object)

1. to put (a person) out of possession, especially of real property; oust.
2. to banish.
3. to abandon ownership of (a building), especially as a bad investment:

   Landlords have dispossessed many old tenement buildings.

dispossess

/ ˌdɪspəˈzɛs /

verb

1. tr to take away possession of something, esp property; expel

Derived Forms

• ˌdisposˈsession, noun
• ˌdisposˈsessor, noun
• ˌdisposˈsessory, adjective

Other Words From

• dispos·session noun
• dispos·sessor noun
• dis·pos·ses·so·ry [dis-p, uh, -, zes, -, uh, -ree], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of dispossess¹

First recorded in 1425–75; dis- ¹ + possess; replacing Middle English disposseden, equivalent to dis- ¹ + posseden (from Old French posseder ), from Latin possidēre; possess

Synonym Study

See strip ¹.

Example Sentences

Chilton’s sonorous voice carries with it the perseverance and anguish of the dispossessed, disenfranchised and violated.

From Washington Post

Don Draper never seems to entirely dispossess himself of Dick Whitman.

From The Daily Beast

Years brought wisdom, however; and he realized that to massacre or dispossess good cultivators was bad economy.

From Project Gutenberg

But I fancy that she will soon dispossess it of that character, for her suspiria are not many at this stage of her life.

From Project Gutenberg

How many seek means, of whatever kind, to dispossess themselves of them!

From Project Gutenberg

The Hellenizers still enjoyed the royal favour and Jonathan made no attempt to dispossess them.

From Project Gutenberg

Or they might have said that the nine tribes and a half could furnish quite a large enough army to dispossess the Canaanites.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• evict