dispossess

verb

dis·​pos·​sess ˌdis-pə-ˈzes How to pronounce dispossess (audio)
 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 How to pronounce dispossess (audio)
 also  -ˈse-
noun
dispossessor
ˌdis-pə-ˈze-sər How to pronounce dispossess (audio)
 also  -ˈse-
noun

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 The Eastern Band’s connection to this place is deep — unusually so, in a country where so many Native communities have been dispossessed. Jacey Fortin Mike Belleme, New York Times, 21 Oct. 2023 The site is sacred to Australia’s Aboriginal people, who have lived on the continent for at least fifty thousand years, but have been dispossessed and discriminated against since European colonization began, in the eighteenth century. Naaman Zhou, The New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2023 The experience of being completely dispossessed of your home is humiliating. Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Sep. 2023 In her investigation for ProPublica and The New Yorker, Lizzie Presser explains the twisted legal path that landed the brothers in jail and dispossesses thousands of Black families across the country. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Sep. 2023 This reaffirmed what Native people believed all along—that these schools were a tool created to commit cultural genocide, dispossess Native peoples of their land, and tear Native families apart. As Told To Monique Wilson, Glamour, 21 Aug. 2023 Black Americans are far from being uniformly poor and dispossessed, and preferences in admission to elite colleges disproportionately benefit black Americans from wealthier backgrounds compared with those who grew up in poverty. The Editors, National Review, 29 June 2023 By contrast, the Anarresti have been dispossessed by Urras—and by themselves. Alan Jacobs, Harper's Magazine, 9 Nov. 2022 Vela’s faint effort to dispossess León of the ball was in vain. Dylan Hernández, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dispossess.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dispossess was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near dispossess

Cite this Entry

“Dispossess.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dispossess. Accessed 9 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

dispossess

verb
dis·​pos·​sess ˌdis-pə-ˈzes How to pronounce dispossess (audio)
: to take away the possession of or the right to occupy land or houses
dispossession noun

Legal Definition

dispossess

transitive verb
dis·​pos·​sess ˌdis-pə-ˈzes How to pronounce dispossess (audio)
: to put out of possession or occupancy compare evict
dispossession noun
dispossessor noun

More from Merriam-Webster on dispossess

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