divestiture

noun

di·​ves·​ti·​ture dī-ˈve-stə-ˌchu̇r 

-chər, 

də-

chiefly Southern -t(y)u̇(ə)r

: the act of divesting: such as

a

: the voluntary act or process of divesting oneself of an asset (such as a business division) by sale, exchange, spin-off, etc.

b

: the compulsory transfer of title or disposal of assets or interests (such as stock in a corporation) upon government or court order (as in bankruptcy or antitrust enforcement)

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 additional cuts, plus the divestiture of a fifth studio, France’s Arkane, will come later, the company said. — Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 7 July 2026

Comcast is fully spinning off NBCUniversal, a swift reversal following an earlier Versant Media divestiture. — Howard Homonoff, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026

Every once in a while, some state attorney general or Justice Department official takes a run at this company and tries to force a divestiture or wrangle or a settlement check. — Josh Brown,sean Russo, CNBC, 2 July 2026

The government stopped short of asking Paramount to make concessions or divestitures. — Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2026

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