divestiture

noun

di·​ves·​ti·​ture dī-ˈve-stə-ˌchu̇r How to pronounce divestiture (audio)
-chər,
də-,
 chiefly Southern  -t(y)u̇(ə)r
1
: the act of divesting
2
: the compulsory transfer of title or disposal of interests (such as stock in a corporation) upon government order

Examples of divestiture in a Sentence

Divestitures are used to break up monopolies. Before divestiture, the telephone company monopolized the state.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
In April, the company forecast its organic sales growth (which excludes the impact of foreign exchange, acquisitions and divestitures) would climb a meager 2% for the fiscal year ended June 30 - the worst performance since 2018. Alexander Coolidge, The Enquirer, 29 July 2025 For example, in a recent aerospace divestiture I was involved in, outdated manual reporting made financial visibility difficult. Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Forbes.com, 29 July 2025 Organic sales, which strip out acquisitions, divestitures and foreign currency, also climbed 2%. Ali McCadden, CNBC, 29 July 2025 Chrome's role in providing user information to help Alphabet target ads more effectively and profitably has proven so successful that the Department of Justice has demanded its divestiture after a U.S. judge last year ruled that the Google parent holds an unlawful monopoly in online search. Kenrick Cai, USA Today, 11 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for divestiture

Word History

Etymology

divest + -iture (as in investiture)

First Known Use

1601, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of divestiture was in 1601

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Divestiture.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/divestiture. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.

Legal Definition

divestiture

noun
di·​ves·​ti·​ture dī-ˈves-ti-ˌchu̇r, də-, -chər How to pronounce divestiture (audio)
1
: the sale or transfer of title to a property (as an operating division) under court order (as in bankruptcy)
2
: the sale of an asset (as a business division) that is unprofitable, does not enhance a corporate restructuring, or is felt to be morally reprehensible
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!