disown
verb
dis·own
(ˌ)dis-ˈōn 
disowned; disowning; disowns
1
: to refuse to acknowledge as one's own
2
a
: to repudiate any connection or identification with
b
: to deny the validity or authority of
Examples of disown in a Sentence
Her parents threatened to disown her if she didn't go back to school.
He was disowned for bringing shame to the family.
Recent Examples on the Web
The pastor approaches the line without fully disenchanting; a magician drawing attention to the trick without disowning its power.
—
Sam Kestenbaum, Vulture, 2 Jan. 2026
Both have been associated with Epstein, but both have since disowned those friendships.
—CBS News, 20 Dec. 2025
Food and beverage stocks are even more disowned than the rest of staples.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 9 Dec. 2025
Emails published on the Mail on Sunday revealed Ferguson apologized to Epstein weeks after publicly disowning him, back in 2011.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 30 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for disown
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Sam Kestenbaum, Vulture, 2 Jan. 2026
Both have been associated with Epstein, but both have since disowned those friendships.
—CBS News, 20 Dec. 2025
Food and beverage stocks are even more disowned than the rest of staples.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 9 Dec. 2025
Emails published on the Mail on Sunday revealed Ferguson apologized to Epstein weeks after publicly disowning him, back in 2011.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 30 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for disown
Cite this Entry
“Disown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disown. Accessed 6 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
disown
verb
dis·own
(ˈ)dis-ˈōn
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share