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

• 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

The visit, scheduled for 4pm, is part of the White House’s effort to ramp up scrutiny of the Fed’s $2.5 billion renovation, which President Donald Trump has zeroed in on as a possible pretext for ousting Chair Jerome Powell. —Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 22 July 2025

Dallas has only made it as far as the divisional round and have been ousted seven times. —Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 21 July 2025

Although some meetings have been canceled recently, there was one on July 9 where members voted to have board members ousted, Martin said. —Saleen Martin, USA Today, 18 July 2025

Investor optimism also coincides with mounting pressure by Trump and other Trump administration officials to oust Fed Chair Jerome Powell, though Trump has denied having plans to remove him. —Ty Roush, Forbes.com, 17 July 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)