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 of dispossess

• 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

Sveindis Jonsdottir capped the scoring in the 67th minute, dispossessing Tatumn Milazzo deep in Utah territory before rolling a shot past McGlynn’s right side. — Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2026

Sveindís Jónsdóttir capped the scoring in the 67th minute, dispossessing Tatumn Milazzo deep in Utah territory before rolling a shot past McGlynn’s right side. — ABC News, 20 Sep. 2026

The youngster was dispossessed but the ball fell to Mac Allister, who curled his effort into the top corner. — Andy Jones, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026

He was tackled and dispossessed with the ball on a trajectory to the goal. — Monica Alba, NBC news, 24 June 2026

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
• authoress
• bodiless
• coalesce
• decompress
• faithfulness
• letterpress
• mayoress
• murderess
• nonetheless
• reassess

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