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.

The team was ousted from the tournament in the first round.

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 of oust

• eject
• out
• banish
• dismiss
• chase
• expel
• evict

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

And despite some analysts’ warnings of a chaotic aftermath should Maduro be ousted, a flood of foreign and private money could spare the US from having to finance the rebuilding of the Venezuelan government and economy. —Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 4 Nov. 2025

Cheney was ousted as chair of the House Republican Conference – the third-highest-ranking House Republican – over her criticism of Trump following his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. —Gabe Hauari, USA Today, 4 Nov. 2025

Nicole’s jab results in her being ousted from her job by bosses Jason and Brett Oppenheim, who seemingly fire her from the brokerage. —Giana Levy, Variety, 31 Oct. 2025

Since Oklahoma State fired Mike Gundy on September 23 through Kelly’s dismissal one month later, 10 FBS schools have ousted their head coaches. —Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 31 Oct. 2025

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

Rhymes for oust

• doused
• faust
• joust

Kids Definition

oust

verb

ˈau̇st 

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