divestiture

noun

di·​ves·​ti·​ture dī-ˈve-stə-ˌchu̇r 

-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

The company said its organic sales growth (which excludes impacts from foreign exchange, acquisitions and divestitures) would climb 2% – the worst performance in at least seven years. —Alexander Coolidge, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025

The loss was primarily due to the $64.3 million reduction associated with the divestiture of a majority stake in Insomnia Cookies to deal with debt load. —Catherine Muccigrosso, Charlotte Observer, 26 June 2025

This is the third time Trump has extended the divestiture timeline for the short-form video platform, which is the chief competitor for Club name Meta . —Morgan Chittum,natasha Abellard,paulina Likos, CNBC, 20 June 2025

Comcast’s divestiture process began two years ago when Chief Executive Brian Roberts signaled that his company wanted out. —Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

divest + -iture (as in investiture)

First Known Use

1601, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for divestiture

• investiture
• vestiture

Legal Definition

divestiture

noun

di·​ves·​ti·​ture dī-ˈves-ti-ˌchu̇r, də-, -chər 

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