dispossess
verb
dis·pos·sess
ˌdis-pə-ˈzes 
also -ˈses
dispossessed; dispossessing; dispossesses
: to put out of possession or occupancy
dispossessed the nobles of their land
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
During a discriminatory apartheid government that ended in the mid-1990s, Black South Africans were forcibly dispossessed of their lands for the benefit of Whites.
—
Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 21 May 2025
Nico Williams soon dispossessed a stumbling Harry Maguire in the United half, and almost put Maroan Sannadi clear.
—Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 2 May 2025
Attempts to dispossess majority indigenous populations are usually violent themselves, however, and almost always run up against resistance.
—Tamir Sorek, The Conversation, 2 Apr. 2025
Central took the overtime opening kickoff but were dispossessed by Pacific Ridge center middlefielder Nick Axelson, who pushed the ball into the Spartans’ side of the pitch.
—The San Diego Union Tribune, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dispossess
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Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 21 May 2025
Nico Williams soon dispossessed a stumbling Harry Maguire in the United half, and almost put Maroan Sannadi clear.
—Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 2 May 2025
Attempts to dispossess majority indigenous populations are usually violent themselves, however, and almost always run up against resistance.
—Tamir Sorek, The Conversation, 2 Apr. 2025
Central took the overtime opening kickoff but were dispossessed by Pacific Ridge center middlefielder Nick Axelson, who pushed the ball into the Spartans’ side of the pitch.
—The San Diego Union Tribune, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dispossess
Cite this Entry
“Dispossess.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dispossess. Accessed 28 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
dispossess
verb
dis·pos·sess
ˌdis-pə-ˈzes
: to take away the possession of or the right to occupy land or houses
Legal Definition
dispossess
transitive verb
dis·pos·sess
ˌdis-pə-ˈzes
: to put out of possession or occupancy compare evict
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