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

The plot follows Becket Redfellow, the son of Mary, an heiress to the vast Redfellow estate, but who was disowned by the family when Becket was born. —Zac Ntim, Deadline, 25 Nov. 2025

Powell's character Beckett explains in the trailer that his mother was disowned from their billionaire family before his birth. —Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 25 Nov. 2025

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

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