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

• 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 followed revelations from the Mail on Sunday that Ferguson apologized to Epstein just weeks after publicly disowning him in 2011. —Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 26 Sep. 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

Maximum Overdrive, the only movie that King directed, is eligible… but King himself joined the chorus of harsh critics, disowning it and never again returning to the director’s chair . —James Grebey, Time, 12 Sep. 2025

Unlike formal speeches or parliamentary votes, a podcast answer can be easily downplayed or disowned. —MSNBC Newsweek, 4 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