dispossess

Definition of dispossessnext
as in to evict
to end the occupancy or possession of opponents of gentrification claim that the process unfairly dispossesses poorer residents of their long-established homes

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of dispossess For me, the flashback is suggestive but not conclusive — maybe Arthur’s genuinely confused about the identity of the man in his house, or maybe this is his chance at revenge against the white men who have continually dispossessed his family and his people. Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 29 Oct. 2025 Like Dunbar’s speakers, Hughes’s dispossessed have no way out, and the poem implicitly refutes optimism regarding the Great Migration and racial progress. Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025 As with the enclosures in England and Scotland, villagers were uprooted and dispossessed to make way for sheep and cattle. Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 30 Sep. 2025 The cry is always I have been dispossessed of what belongs to me, my house, the food, foodstuff, the land. Paul Tilsley, FOXNews.com, 10 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for dispossess
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dispossess
Verb
  • His older brother, King Charles, stripped him of his titles and evicted him from Royal Lodge after all.
    Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 31 Mar. 2026
  • Social workers estimated that nearly 100,000 Parisian Jews had been evicted from their apartments during the war.
    Shannon Fogg, The Conversation, 31 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Bondi cut off the American Bar Association’s access to judicial nominees for the first time in 72 years, depriving the Senate of an independent opinion on their qualifications.
    Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 3 Apr. 2026
  • This criminal organization deprived them of that peace of mind.
    Dan Snyder, CBS News, 1 Apr. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dispossess.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dispossess. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on dispossess

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster