dispossess

[ dis-puh-zes ]
See synonyms for: dispossessdispossesseddispossession on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)
  1. to put (a person) out of possession, especially of real property; oust.

  2. to banish.

  1. to abandon ownership of (a building), especially as a bad investment: Landlords have dispossessed many old tenement buildings.

Origin of dispossess

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

synonym study For dispossess

1. See strip1.

Other words from dispossess

  • dis·pos·ses·sion, noun
  • dis·pos·ses·sor, noun
  • dis·pos·ses·so·ry [dis-puh-zes-uh-ree], /ˌdɪs pəˈzɛs ə ri/, adjective

Words Nearby dispossess

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use dispossess in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for dispossess

dispossess

/ (ˌdɪspəˈzɛs) /


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

Derived forms of dispossess

  • dispossession, noun
  • dispossessor, noun
  • dispossessory, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012