disown

verb

dis·​own (ˌ)dis-ˈōn 

disowned; disowning; disowns

transitive verb

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

disownment

(ˌ)dis-ˈōn-mənt 

noun

Synonyms of disown

• deny
• reject
• refute

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

This came on the heels of emails published on the Mail on Sunday that revealed Andrew’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, apologized to Epstein weeks after publicly disowning him, back in 2011. —Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 3 Nov. 2025

Pooro manages to escape and finds her way home to her parents, who disown her for having spent a fortnight with a Muslim. —JSTOR Daily, 30 Oct. 2025

Extended family members of White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller are disowning him, according to his cousin. —Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025

After years of friendship, Fergie — as the Duchess of York is popularly known — publicly disowned the billionaire in a 2011 interview. —Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 24 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1630, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for disown

• alone
• atone
• backbone
• bemoan
• bluestone
• breastbone
• brownstone
• capstone
• cheekbone
• condone
• curbstone
• cyclone

Kids Definition

disown

verb

dis·​own (ˈ)dis-ˈōn 

: to refuse to accept any longer as one's own : renounce, disclaim