dispossess

verb

dis·​pos·​sess ˌdis-pə-ˈzes 

 also  -ˈses

dispossessed; dispossessing; dispossesses

transitive verb

: to put out of possession or occupancy

dispossessed the nobles of their land

dispossession

ˌdis-pə-ˈze-shən 

 also  -ˈse-

noun

dispossessor

ˌdis-pə-ˈze-sər 

 also  -ˈse-

noun

Synonyms

• evict
• deprive

Examples of dispossess in a Sentence

The land was settled by dispossessing the native people who lived here.

opponents of gentrification claim that the process unfairly dispossesses poorer residents of their long-established homes

Recent Examples on the Web

In The Stolen Heart, Samson sees Red Army soldiers violently dispossessing a middle-class family on that same street. —Uilleam Blacker, The Atlantic, 4 June 2025

Under apartheid, Black South Africans were forcibly dispossessed of their lands for the benefit of Whites. —Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 21 May 2025

The second one saw Moreno dispossess Salah and drive forward. —Andy Jones, The Athletic, 14 Jan. 2025

Indigenous and colonized people paid the price, dispossessed of their lands. —Michael Albertus, Foreign Affairs, 24 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle French despossesser, from des- dis- + possesser to possess

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for dispossess

• abs
• acquiesce
• ancestress
• authoress
• coalesce
• decompress
• faithfulness
• letterpress
• mayoress
• murderess
• nonetheless
• overstress

Kids Definition

dispossess

verb

dis·​pos·​sess ˌdis-pə-ˈzes 

: to take away the possession of or the right to occupy land or houses

dispossession

-ˈzesh-ən 

noun

Legal Definition

dispossess

transitive verb

dis·​pos·​sess ˌdis-pə-ˈzes 

: to put out of possession or occupancy compare evict

dispossession

-ˈze-shən 

noun

dispossessor

-ˈze-sər 

noun