oust

verb

ˈau̇st 

ousted; ousting; ousts

transitive verb

1

a

: to remove from or dispossess of property or position by legal action, by force, or by the compulsion of necessity

The rebels ousted the dictator from power.

b

: to take away (something, such as a right or authority) : bar, remove

The states do not like attempts by Congress to oust their jurisdiction.

2

: to take the place of : supplant

must be careful that quantity does not oust quality

—R. V. Williams

Synonyms

• banish
• boot (out)
• bounce
• cast out
• chase
• dismiss
• drum (out)
• eject
• expel
• extrude
• kick out
• out
• rout
• run off
• throw out
• turf (out) [chiefly British]
• turn out

Choose the Right Synonym for oust

eject, expel, oust, evict mean to drive or force out.

eject carries an especially strong implication of throwing or thrusting out from within as a physical action.

ejected an obnoxious patron from the bar

expel stresses a thrusting out or driving away especially permanently which need not be physical.

a student expelled from college

oust implies removal or dispossession by power of the law or by force or compulsion.

police ousted the squatters

evict chiefly applies to turning out of house and home.

evicted for nonpayment of rent

Examples of oust in a Sentence

The rebels ousted the dictator from power.

Large national banks are ousting local banks in many communities.

Recent Examples on the Web

East Idaho, known for agriculture, a national nuclear laboratory and a large membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also narrowly voted to oust a hard-line conservative incumbent. —Audrey Dutton, ProPublica, 4 June 2024

One of the Maoist rebels who pushed to oust the monarchy, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, known as Prachanda, is now the prime minister and the leader of the coalition in which Mr. Lamichhane serves as a minister. —Bhadra Sharma, New York Times, 3 June 2024

The property was one of five that Caltrans was attempting to oust Apex and another Nowaid company from, including a plot along the 5 Freeway in Sun Valley and another a block away from the one on Lawrence Street. —Rachel Uranga, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2024

Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy also threw his support behind McGuire, using his large political infrastructure to target Good, who was one of the eight Republican lawmakers who voted alongside Democrats to oust McCarthy from his speakership role last year. —Lalee Ibssa, ABC News, 28 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French oster, ouster to take off, remove, oust, from Late Latin obstare to ward off, from Latin, to stand in the way, from ob- in the way + stare to stand — more at ob-, stand

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

oust

verb

ˈau̇st 

: to force or drive out (as from office or from possession of something)