disown
verb
dis·own
(ˌ)dis-ˈōn 
disowned; disowning; disowns
1
: to refuse to acknowledge as one's own
2
a
: to repudiate any connection or identification with
b
: to deny the validity or authority of
Synonyms
Examples of disown in a Sentence
Her parents threatened to disown her if she didn't go back to school.
He was disowned for bringing shame to the family.
Recent Examples on the Web
The student disowned the graffiti and damage to the buildings done earlier in the morning, saying that was a separate group not linked to the encampment.
—
Rick Hurd, The Mercury News, 5 June 2024
In 1960, Patricia married Alfred and Ann disowned her for having a relationship with a Black man.
—Sophie Dodd, Peoplemag, 7 May 2024
Patricia was disowned by her family for marrying Alfred
To understand her relationship with her mother, Mariah examined Patricia’s complicated dynamic with her own mother, Ann Hickey, in her memoir.
—Sophie Dodd, Peoplemag, 7 May 2024
Their homes have been destroyed, or they have been disowned by family.
—Anand Gopal, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024
He had previously been temporarily disowned by his family for marrying Jenny in secret.
—Kelly Wynne, Peoplemag, 16 Jan. 2024
But not everyone agreed with the open letter or UNESCO’s recommendations, including some of the signatories who, Vice reported, either disowned the letter, walked back their positions, or turned out to be fake.
—Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 31 Mar. 2023
And if someone does decide to leave, they are disowned and their families are told never to speak to them.
—Liam Quinn, Peoplemag, 6 Jan. 2024
The members of my mother’s family have disowned me for it.
—Amy Dickinson, Washington Post, 4 Dec. 2023
Rick Hurd, The Mercury News, 5 June 2024
In 1960, Patricia married Alfred and Ann disowned her for having a relationship with a Black man.
—Sophie Dodd, Peoplemag, 7 May 2024
Patricia was disowned by her family for marrying Alfred
To understand her relationship with her mother, Mariah examined Patricia’s complicated dynamic with her own mother, Ann Hickey, in her memoir.
—Sophie Dodd, Peoplemag, 7 May 2024
Their homes have been destroyed, or they have been disowned by family.
—Anand Gopal, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024
He had previously been temporarily disowned by his family for marrying Jenny in secret.
—Kelly Wynne, Peoplemag, 16 Jan. 2024
But not everyone agreed with the open letter or UNESCO’s recommendations, including some of the signatories who, Vice reported, either disowned the letter, walked back their positions, or turned out to be fake.
—Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 31 Mar. 2023
And if someone does decide to leave, they are disowned and their families are told never to speak to them.
—Liam Quinn, Peoplemag, 6 Jan. 2024
The members of my mother’s family have disowned me for it.
—Amy Dickinson, Washington Post, 4 Dec. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'disown.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near disown
Cite this Entry
“Disown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disown. Accessed 10 Jun. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
disown
verb
dis·own
(ˈ)dis-ˈōn
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share