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

The threat to oust Johnson Johnson is already facing a threat of a vote to oust him from the speakership over his decision to work with Democrats to fund the government last month, a move that many conservatives opposed. —Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 5 Apr. 2024

Fallout from the raid is also continuing – early this week Marion city administrator Brogan Jones resigned and voters ousted Herbel during last week’s local elections. —Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 3 Apr. 2024

The second was led by Boniface Alexandre, another Supreme Court justice, who stepped in after Jean-Bertrand Aristide was ousted from power in 2004. —Pierre Esperance, Foreign Affairs, 2 Apr. 2024

More for Lakota readers:Board approves $17K contract for superintendent search, gathers community feedback When enough time had passed, the rest of Lakota's board members met for a special meeting to oust Boddy from the board. —The Enquirer, 1 Apr. 2024

What To Watch For Republicans are poised to flip three seats in North Carolina under newly redrawn district lines, while Louisiana’s redistricting process all but guarantees a Democrat will oust Republican Rep. Garret Graves. —Sara Dorn, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024

Mired in controversy, financial problems and federal investigations, Location Ventures’s board of directors ousted Kapoor and hired a former judge to sell off assets and pay creditors. —Susan Merriam, Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 2024

Instead of dividing the people against the resistance, the junta’s extreme violence has only made much of Myanmar’s populace more determined to oust the military from power, according to analysts and people who spoke to CNN in the country. —Helen Regan, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024

The motion to vacate that ended up ousting him was backed by a very small minority of the party's conference. —Nathaniel Rakich, ABC News, 26 Mar. 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)