divest
Americanverb (used with object)
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to strip of clothing, ornament, etc..
The wind divested the trees of their leaves.
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to strip or deprive (someone or something), especially of property or rights; dispossess.
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to rid of or free from.
He divested himself of all responsibility for the decision.
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Law. to take away or alienate (property, rights, etc.).
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Commerce.
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to sell off.
to divest holdings.
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to rid of through sale.
The corporation divested itself of its subsidiaries.
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verb
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to strip (of clothes)
to divest oneself of one's coat
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to deprive or dispossess
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property law to take away an estate or interest in property vested (in a person)
Related Words
See strip 1.
Other Word Forms
- divestible adjective
- divestiture noun
- undivested adjective
Etymology
Origin of divest
First recorded in 1595–1605; from Medieval Latin dīvestīre, equivalent to dī- di- 2 + vestīre “to dress”; vest
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Shaw have repeatedly urged the company to scale back its multibillion-dollar investment in Homes.com or divest entirely.
From Barron's
Activist investor Irenic Capital Management built a 2.5% stake in Snapchat and urged the company to lay off employees and divest its Specs business.
Success will likely require heavy investment in the core brands, along with tough choices to divest or de-emphasize others.
As you say, there is a five-year Medicaid lookback period to review whether an individual divested themselves of assets in order to qualify for benefits.
From MarketWatch
He explains that he feels "very strongly" about the issue and says we need to put in "the hard work of divesting our attention and reconnecting with eternal things like nature".
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
